Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things
Talk about great timing
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...hings_logo.png Stranger Things is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers that is streaming on Netflix. The brothers serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Set in the 1980s primarily in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the series centers around numerous supernatural events occurring around the town, specifically around their connection to a hostile alternate reality called the "Upside Down", after a link between it and Earth is made by a government child experimentation facility. The series stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, and Brett Gelman. The Duffer Brothers developed Stranger Things as a mix of investigative drama and supernatural elements portrayed with horror, science fiction and childlike sensibilities. Setting the series in the 1980s, the Duffer Brothers infused references to the pop culture of that decade while themes and directorial aspects were inspired by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch, Stephen King, Wes Craven and H. P. Lovecraft. They also took inspiration from experiments conducted during the Cold War and real-world conspiracy theories involving secret government experiments. Stranger Things has attracted record viewership on Netflix, and has received critical acclaim for its characterization, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and homages to 1980s films. Critics regard Stranger Things as one of Netflix's flagship series, with it having achieved a dedicated fanbase and being credited with launching the careers of many of its younger cast members. Stranger Things has received many awards and nominations, including nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, British Academy Television Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, Writers Guild of America Awards, and Grammy Awards, as well as wins from the Primetime Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, American Film Institute, Critics' Choice Television Awards, and People's Choice Awards. Stranger Things has argueably become one of the most talked about shows in the world right now. Like few before it, it has descended into pop culture global phenomeon, launching new stars, creating iconography, and relaunching fledging talents back into the limelight With a fun premise, relatable characters and setting, Stranger Things has taken Netflix to the next level and become a favourite amongst many audiences. |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things Chapter One: The Vanishing Of Will Byers INTRO: The episode that started it all. The disapperance, establishing Hawkins, and the slow burning mystery that follows. SUMMARY: In November 1983 in Hawkins, Indiana, a scientist is attacked by an unseen creature at a U.S. government laboratory. 12-year-old Will Byers encounters the creature and mysteriously vanishes while cycling home from a Dungeons & Dragons session with his friends Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. Will's single mother Joyce Byers reports his disappearance to the police chief Jim Hopper, who starts a search and assures Joyce that almost all missing children are quickly found. The lab's director Dr. Martin Brenner investigates an organic substance oozing from the lab's basement, claiming that "the girl" cannot have gone far. A nervous young girl wearing a hospital gown wanders into a local diner. The owner, Benny, learns from a tattoo of "011" on her arm that her name is Eleven. Brenner, monitoring the phone lines, sends agents to the diner after Benny calls social services. The agents kill Benny, but Eleven manages to escape using telekinetic abilities. Joyce's phone short circuits after receiving a mysterious phone call that she believes is from Will. While searching for Will in the woods, Mike, Dustin and Lucas come across Eleven. REVIEW: The opening of this episode is great. Mysterious, yet establishing the small yet developed world of Hawkins, Indiana and the core characters involved. The opening scene of the dead scientist is great. Mysterious and chilling. We then follow with the introduction of the four boys playing dungeons and dragons and are introduced to their key characteristics. Mike, Dustin, Lucas & Will. As well as Nancy and several others too. When returning home, Will is chased by something sinister which results in him suddenly disappearing. From there, we get the opening titles which invoke a lot of nostalgia for its loo, its sound and tone regarding the series to come. We’re then introduced to more characters throughout: The rest of the Byres family Jonathan & Joyce, Jim Hopper the sheriff, Steve Harrington, as well as several minor characters throughout Hawkins. There’s a slow reaction to Will Byres’ disappearance, with many characters having different reactions to it – concern from his friends, fear from his family, bemoans and groans from the police. Throughout the episode, it switches to different perspectives in clever ways. From Mike to Nancy to Hopper to Joyce to then the mysterious girl character of Eleven. Eleven is the centre of the mystery this season, a young girl with a shaved head, barely speaks, and possesses a strange number of psychic powers, with a government agency coming after her. And this agency is ruthless. Murdering the owner of a diner for just interacting with the girl, which makes the tension even higher as a result. The end of the episode sees the boys and Eleven encounter each other in the rain, ending on a cliffhanger. For an opening episode, its great. The nostalgia vibes for the 80s are high and strong, paying homage to a lot of 80s films without being too specific. Its kept vague and basic, with a simple story with a strong supernatural theme. No complexities or multi-layed plots. Just a story about something strange and sinister going on in a small town. With strong action and intriguing characters, this is a good opening episode. RATING: 86% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things Chapter Two: The Weirdo On Maple Street INTRO: The mystery continues to develop with the discovery of Eleven, the hunt for Will and the attack on Barb. SUMMARY: The boys bring Eleven to Mike's house, where they disagree on what to do. Mike formulates a plan for Eleven to pretend to be a runaway and seek help from his mother, Karen. Still, Eleven refuses, revealing that "bad men" are after her. Will's brother Jonathan visits his estranged father Lonnie in Indianapolis to search for Will, but Lonnie rebuffs him. Hopper's search party discovers a scrap of hospital gown near the lab. After recognizing Will in a photograph and demonstrating her telekinesis, Eleven convinces the boys to trust her, as they believe she could find Will. Using the Dungeons & Dragons board, Eleven indicates that Will is on the "Upside Down" side of the board and is being hunted by the "Demogorgon" (the creature). Mike's sister Nancy and her friend Barbara 'Barb' Holland go to a party with Nancy's boyfriend Steve Harrington. Searching for Will near Steve's house, Jonathan secretly photographs the party. Joyce receives another call from Will, hears music playing from his stereo, and sees the creature coming through the wall. Left alone by the swimming pool, Barb is attacked by the Demogorgon and vanishes. REVIEW: Taking place straight where Episode One ended, we get a more thorough introduction to Eleven. She can talk, just minimally. And she puts a lot of trust in Mike immediately, thus beginning their unique connection that has lasted throughout the wider story. A huge chunk of the town now start searching for Will, making this issue wider and more stressful for his loved ones, particularly Will’s mother Joyce. There is a moment where Joyce believes she has heard Will over the phone, and a weird static destroys the electricity in her house, as well as Joyce having a very scary supernatural encounter. Jonathan, believes Will may be at their estranged father’s house, only to no avail. Though we do discover the fractious relationship Jonathan has with his dad, as we assume also Will also shares. Meanwhile, Will’s friends interrogate Eleven further about Will but only know more about her abilities which weirds them out yet also intrigues them. Meanwhile, Nancy tries to distract herself by digging deeper with Steve’s clique, staying over his house in the evening whilst Barb is left aside. But it is in Nancy’s neglect of her best friend that Barb encounters the monster and disappears, leading to another cliffhanger ending. Again, another strong episode from this season, as hints at Eleven being different than usual as well as Will potentially being alive, despite no idea where he might be. There are still very strong performances across the board, especially from Winona Ryder and Jim Harbour. With Jim Hopper, we get a hint also of his tragic past a bit more which was good character development. I believe now that the ante is slowly building up, and making for an intriguing story to flesh out. RATING: 84% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things Chapter Three: Holly Jolly INTRO: The aftermath of Barb's attack as more residents of Hawkins begin to ask questions. SUMMARY: Barb awakens in the Upside Down: a decaying, overgrown alternate dimension. She attempts to escape, but is attacked by the Demogorgon. Joyce believes Will is communicating through pulses in light bulbs. Brenner allows Hopper to view doctored security footage from the night Will vanished, leading Hopper to investigate Brenner, discovering his involvement with Project MKUltra, a CIA experiment into the brainwashing potential of psychoactive drugs, and that a woman named Terry Ives alleged years earlier that Brenner took her daughter. Eleven recalls Brenner, whom she calls "Papa," punishing her for refusing to hurt a cat telekinetically. Steve destroys Jonathan's camera after discovering the photos from the party. Nancy later recovers a photo of Barb, realizing that she is missing. Returning to Steve's house to investigate, Nancy encounters the Demogorgon but manages to escape. Joyce paints an alphabetic board on her wall with Christmas lights, allowing Will to sign to her that he is "RIGHT HERE" and that she needs to "RUN." Believing Eleven knows where Will is, the boys ask her to lead them to him. Eleven leads them to Will's house, to their frustration. From there, they follow emergency vehicles to a quarry, just as Will's apparent body is recovered from the water. REVIEW: We kick things off where the last episode ended: Barb’s death. Gory and scary, it is edited in sync with Nancy & Steve’s night of passion upstairs. We then move forward to the morning after, with Eleven exploring an empty Wheeler house, which in itself triggers flashbacks with things like a Diet Coke commercial and cats. Joyce continues her determination to talk to Will, using fairy lights and a drawn alphabet on the wall so Will can better communicate with his mother. But out of that comes a sudden encounter with a monster who breaks through the walls. Nancy continues to be worried about Barb’s disappearance, despite the bullies’ jokes, who by the way are perfectly nasty, with a great representation of 80s style high school bullies. It doesn’t help that Jonathan is them exposed as a peeping tom which involves a very humiliating scene with the bullies. Out of that scene, Nancy finds a picture of Barb sitting by the pool, which makes her curious, and eager to explore more. The episode’s end strikes an emotional cord – Will’s ‘body’ is uncovered at the quarry, striking a lot of emotion and sadness as the episode concludes. It’s another good episode, though slightly weaker than the previous two, yet the mystery is still very intriguing. RATING: 84% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 1x04 - The Body INTRO: With Will's body supposedly being discovered, you think the story ends there. But oh no.... SUMMARY: Joyce refuses to believe that the body found at the quarry is Will's. Mike feels betrayed by Eleven until she proves that Will is still alive, channeling his voice through Mike's walkie-talkie. The boys theorize that Eleven could use a ham radio at their school to communicate with Will. Nancy notices a figure behind Barb in Jonathan's photo, which Jonathan realizes matches his mother's description of the Demogorgon. Nancy tells the police about Barb's disappearance. She later fights with Steve, who only cares about not getting in trouble with his father. Hopper has suspicions regarding the authenticity of the body found in the quarry when he learns that the usual coroner was sent home. Hopper confronts the state trooper who found it and beat him until he admits he was ordered to lie. The boys sneak Eleven into their school to use the radio, while Joyce hears Will's voice on her living room wall. Tearing away the wallpaper, she sees him. Eleven uses the radio to channel Will talking to his mother. Hopper goes to the morgue and finds that the body is a dummy and, suspecting that Brenner is responsible, breaks into the lab. REVIEW: The episode focuses on the aftermath of Will’s ‘body’ being found, in which a lot of emotion is running high. Yet for Mike, he manages to hear Will’s voice through the walkie talkie via Eleven’s powers. Because of that, he is keen to explore further, and assembles the rest of the boys to help. By using the science room to contact Will, they make a breakthrough and are unconvinced of Will’s supposed ‘dead body’. There is also a good confrontation with the bullies, which results in Eleven using his powers to make one of them pee themselves. Meanwhile with Joyce, she is still communicating with Will and manages to make a breakthrough as a result when she encounters Will through the upside down. Jonathan & Nancy still continue to bond, both beginning to connect the clues with Barb’s disappearance, coming to the conclusion that there is something supernatural in Hawkins, and set out to investigate. As for Jim Hopper, well he continues to investigate Hawkins Lab himself, slowly putting the pieces together and eventually discovering that Will’s body is a fake and sets out to uncover the secrets in Hawkins Lab once and for all. Overall, the episode is very strong and arguably the best so far as all the different story strands continue to build really well, with the stakes getting bigger and more exciting to watch unfold. RATING: 93% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 1x05 - The Flea & The Acrobat INTRO: Tensions arise as the citizens of Hawkins begin to piece together a terrifying puzzle. SUMMARY: Hopper searches the lab, finding the substance in the basement, before being knocked out by the lab's guards. The boys ask their science teacher, Mr. Clarke, if it would be possible to travel between alternate dimensions, to which he answers that there could be a theoretical 'gate' between dimensions. Hopper awakens at his house and finds a hidden microphone, realizing that Joyce was right the whole time. The boys follow their compasses, hoping that a gate would disrupt the Earth's electromagnetic field. Eleven recalls memories of being placed in a sensory-deprivation tank to eavesdrop on a man speaking Russian telepathically; while listening, she came across the Demogorgon. Fearing another encounter with the Demogorgon, Eleven redirects the compasses. Lucas misinterprets this as an act of treason, leading Mike and Lucas to fight and Eleven to telekinetically fling Lucas off Mike. While Dustin and Mike tend to the unconscious Lucas, Eleven runs off. Nancy and Jonathan formulate a plan to kill the Demogorgon. Searching in the woods, they encounter a wounded deer. Nancy follows it through a gate to the Upside Down, drawing its attention to her. REVIEW: Will’s ‘funeral’ begins the episode, though a handful attending aren’t so convinced of Will’s demise. Lonnie shows up in this episode, believing Joyce to be unwell, and from his perspective we can understand even though it is clear he is wrong. Jim Hopper manages to intercept the compound, but is ultimately drugged, though does discover the portal before passing out. When back in his residence, he manages to discover the microphone bugged, and therefore comes a bit more prepared when he tells Joyce the truth. We’re also let into a clue of his history when he has a moment with his ex-wife over the phone. Meanwhile, with the boys, they manage to decipher a logic for the now called Upside Down, where they believe Will is. As they try to find out more, Eleven gets scared for them and misleads them during their attempt to find Will, which gets Lucas pissed at her, thinking she’s a traitor. There’s a falling out amongst the group with Lucas fleeing at Eleven’s power. Lastly there’s Nancy & Jonathan who team up to go hunting in the woods for the monster. Yet they end up encountering a dead deer, which is then killed by a Demogorgon after Nancy follows it into the upside down, ending the episode on another exciting cliffhanger. It’s another good episode, though slightly not as strong as the previous one. Yet the story still continues to develop and build slowly, with exciting story strands slowly coming together. RATING: 92% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 1x06 - The Monster INTRO: Jonathan & Nancy enter the upside down, the boys unite against a big threat, and Hopper big deeper. SUMMARY: Jonathan pulls Nancy back through the gate. That night, Nancy is afraid to be alone and asks Jonathan to stay in her bedroom. Steve, attempting to reconcile with Nancy, sees them together through her bedroom window and assumes they are dating. Joyce and Hopper track down Terry Ives, who is catatonic and tended to by her sister Becky. The latter explains that Terry was a Project MKUltra participant while unknowingly pregnant, and believes Brenner kidnapped her daughter Jane at birth due to her supposed telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Nancy and Jonathan stockpile weapons to kill the Demogorgon, theorizing that it is attracted by blood. Steve gets into a fistfight with Jonathan after calling Nancy a slut. Eleven walks into a grocery store and shoplifts several boxes of Eggo waffles. Searching for Eleven, Mike and Dustin are ambushed by a group of bullies but are rescued by her, as she uses her powers to break one bully's arm after he attempts to kill Mike. Eleven collapses and recalls being asked by Brenner to contact the Demogorgon and, in her terror, inadvertently opening the gate. She tearfully admits to Mike that she is responsible for allowing the Demogorgon to enter this dimension. Lucas sees agents who have tracked down Eleven preparing to ambush Mike's house. REVIEW: Taking place straight after the last episode ended, Nancy manages to escape the upside down, and both her and Jonathan are both traumatised by what has gone down, resulting in them seeking comfort and to stay by each other for the rest of the night. Something that Steve Harrington gets the wrong idea of and slut shames Nancy publicly, which results in a huge fight in the alley after Steve and his bullies friends get really unpleasant, resulting in Jonathan getting arrested. The other story revolves around the boys, who are all quite divided after the events of the last episode. Lucas goes to investigate the gate himself, and discovers secrets regarding Hawkins Lab, and must decide to warn his friends before its too late. You then have Eleven on her own, wandering around Hawkins. She steals some food from a supermarket which attracts attention from both the boys and Hawkins Lab. Mike & Dustin are then confronted by their school bullies following the incident before where Eleven made one of them wet themselves. But before any danger can happen, Eleven saves them and scares them away. Joyce & Jim team up, discovering Terry Ives, a mute woman who was wronged by Hawkins Lab before, in which they begin to piece together Eleven’s history and unearth a bigger conspiracy as a result. This episode is good, though slightly weaker than before, but slowly but surely the sense of things coming together is becoming clear. This episode in particular was a highlight for the bully groups on the show, who were both very convincing and sinister. RATING: 85% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things Chapter Seven: The Bathtub INTRO: All groups finally unite as the end nears and the search for Will nears its climax. SUMMARY: Lucas warns Mike that agents are searching for Eleven. Mike, Dustin, and Eleven flee the house. Eleven telekinetically flips one of the agents' vans that blocks their path, and the kids escape. Lucas reconciles with Mike and Eleven, and the kids hide from the agents. Nancy and Jonathan reveal their knowledge of the Demogorgon to Joyce and Hopper. The group contacts the kids, and everyone meets at the Byers' house. Joyce and Hopper realize that Eleven is Jane Ives. The group asks Eleven to search for Will and Barb telepathically, but her earlier feats have weakened her. They break into the middle school and build a makeshift sensory-deprivation tank to amplify Eleven's powers. Eleven finds Barb dead and Will alive using her telepathy, hiding in the Upside Down version of his backyard fort. Realizing that the gate is in the basement of the lab, Hopper and Joyce break into the lab, but are apprehended by security guards. Nancy and Jonathan head back to the Byers' house, planning to lure and kill the Demogorgon, so it can't interfere with Joyce and Hopper. In the Upside Down, the Demogorgon breaks into Will's fort. REVIEW: Again, taking place straight after the episode, and the boys are on the fun, from Hawkins Lab. Chased by multiple vans, the government are on their trail. But Eleven’s powers and quick thinking keep them ahead. Luckily, Jim Hopper manages to save him and as the episode continues, our three groups of characters all start to unite, making it fun to watch all these new character interactions as they begin to peace everything together regarding Will, The Upside Down, The Demogorgan and Hawkins Lab. With the use of a large bath, Eleven manages to see through the upside down, finds Barb’s body, and Will still alive, but with little time to save him, and so a race against time begins. The cliff-hanger ending however makes it thrilling as one of the Demogorgan’s manages to capture Will. I enjoyed this episode a lot, especially with the ensemble all coming together, and with a real clear build up to an exciting finale. RATING: 94% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things Chapter Eight: The Upside Down INTRO: The finale of an exceptional series establishes the stakes and threats in ways almost unmatched in other TV shows. SUMMARY: Hopper, haunted by the death of his daughter Sara from cancer years earlier, gives up Eleven's location to Brenner, who in exchange allows Hopper and Joyce to enter the Upside Down to rescue Will. Nancy and Jonathan cut their hands to attract the Demogorgon at the Byers' house. Steve, intending to apologize to Jonathan about their fight, arrives just as the Demogorgon appears. Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan fight the Demogorgon and light it on fire, forcing it to retreat to the Upside Down. Meanwhile, Eleven and the boys hide in the middle school when Brenner and his agents arrive to kidnap Eleven; she kills most of them before collapsing from exhaustion. The Demogorgon appears and attacks Brenner, seemingly killing him. Hopper and Joyce find Will in the Upside Down, unconscious with a tendril down his throat, and revive him using CPR. The Demogorgon finds the kids, and Eleven disintegrates it but disappears. Will is hospitalized. One month later, Nancy is back together with Steve, and both are friends with Jonathan. Will coughs up a slug-like creature and has a vision of the Upside Down, but hides this from his family. REVIEW: A plan is set into motion to save Will, with Joyce & Jim entering the upside down whilst they have the chance, following the trail to locate Will. They do manage to find Will, but Hopper & Joyce have to perform CPR to save his life, which they do succeed in. However, the CPR triggers unpleasant memories for Hopper regarding his daughter’s death, which does raise tension throughout the episode. Meanwhile, the boys are with Eleven in the gym, and encounter agents arriving to retrieve her. However, the Demogorgon intercepts, killing a lot of agents in the process. In the end, Eleven seemingly sacrifices herself to save the other boys, but is she truly dead? Meanwhile, Jonathan & Nancy fight the Demogorgon in the Byres house, but Steve Harrington stumbles upon the situation and enters the fray, discovering the truth about what has been really going on, playing brave at a crucial moment also. From there, the ending of the episode is good too, with all things and character arcs resolved, and the nightmare overall has passed, although a few clues are left lingering to leave it open for a new season. Overall, it’s a solid end to the season, and a great story overall. The rewatch has been fun, reminding me that the first season was magical and unique, and I’m eager to continue on for the rest of the seasons. RATING: 95% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20190214020400
Connor Macgregor's Stranger Things Season One Retrospective STORY For starters, Stranger Things is an absolutely terrific tale from beginning to end. You have real believable characters rooted in personality, in goals, in attitude to everything around them. They’re all unique and play into the wider story really really well. The story ultimately feels like an original idea with homages to tributes to a lot of 80s media from previous years. You also have a good location in Hawkins, Indiana, as well as the variety of age groups within the story, switching from perspectives throughout, and not keeping the story stale or detached from any age groups. It ultimately comes down to a simple story with nothing too complicated. CHARACTERS Will – Arguably the centrepiece of this entire season. His disappearance is what sets all the events off and triggers each and every character’s arc throughout. Lots of characters have a personal connection to him. Family, friends, concerned community members. And because of that, it is Will’s bravery and determination that carries him through against tough odds. The Other Boys – Will’s friends all play a strong role in the story. All of them likeable and fun to watch. Mike is the leader, the one that gathers his friends together to help figure out what is going on. Dustin is the funny one, with the broadest of personalities, where as Lucas is more skeptical and cautious but still brave when things go down to the wire. When Eleven arrives, they all have different reactions to her, yet all protect her as a team, each having their moments throughout the season, and overall being the heart of the story. Eleven – A mysterious child that comes to Hawkins and kick starts a load of problems as a result. Her powers fascinate the boys, but she comes to rely on them to cope with this new strange world, especially Mike. There rises a small but lovely connection with Mike, who she comes to rely on emotionally. With her telepathy, she is a very cool young character, and well performed by Millie Bobby Brown throughout. Joyce – A great role here for Winona Ryder. A concerned mother fraught with emotion, fear and erratic behaviour. She’s dealing with any parent’s worst nightmare, and is determined to find her son against the impossible odds. I really enjoyed Joyce and her arc is terrific fun from beginning to end, never giving up on her son, and witnessing terrifying things to get him back. Jim Hopper – The grumpy cop stereotype that was seen quite a lot in 80s movies, especially one in sci fi and horror movies. However with Hopper, you have a character with a traumatic past who is battling with these deep emotions and trauma whilst trying to find this missing boy in what has been a safe and quiet town. But of course as he continues to dig, the case grows more sinister and Hopper has to battle incredible things beyond his imagination. However, you do have a good man underneath who will do anything to protect the town and its citizens. Jonathan – A take on the loner/weirdo stereotype but reversed and developed into quite an interesting and important role. His attempt to keep it all together is admirable as his mother in his eyes loses the plot. Yet he also tries to defend her from his father who he has a very seething hatred for. There’s also his attraction to Nancy, which evolves into the two of them investigating Barb’s disappearance, which makes for a great couple bubbling up in the service. Jonathan ultimately comes into his own in the final act in a really fun way. Nancy – A take on the girl next door trope but with a twist of course. Her role as the older sister in the Wheeler family is nice, and evolves over the course of the season. Her character arc is very relatable about growing up and finding her identity. Her best friend’s disappearance in Episode 3 kick starts her arc as she searches for Barb, which becomes crucial to the wider arc. She teams up with Jonathan to investigate, but as a result has to deal with bullies and her boyfriend Steve who wrongly assume her to be cheating on Steve. Yet she stands out and grows throughout the story, as well as getting a really good look at her worldview, in particular with how she views herself compared to her parents. Martin Brenner – A standard villain who is shrouded in mystery and cruelty. Yet, Matthew Modine performs this role well and makes me eager to see more of this character in the future. The Wheeler Parents – Very much a normal 80s set of parents. The deadbeat dad whose main interest is sleep and dinner, a busybody mother who probably knows she could do better, and a toddler daughter so adorably cute. It does bring a setting for Mike, Nancy and Eleven’s hiding spot. They are very much a nice family on the surface. Steve – In many ways the breakout character for Stranger Things going forward. But here, he is a standard school jock character who loves being popular. Yet this character is more sympathetic and nicer than usual high school jocks in the 80s. He still has slightly douche moments with his friends, but he does make up for it later in the story. Barb – A wonderful guest character that ended up getting an emmy nod due to how iconic she was. The nerdy best friend who is attached to Nancy despite her group doing so much to exclude her. Her death scene is iconic in the show, a sad yet memorable and crucial death to move Nancy’s story forward throughout the season. The Bullies – We get realistic and nasty bullies for different age groups here in this show. Troy & James are the bullies to the young boys in Middle School. They’re quite intimidating and even Troy gets scary when he brandishes a knife and threatens Dustin with it, only for Eleven to come to the rescue. Eleven does humiliate Troy quite badly by making him pee himself at one point. In High School, you have Tommy & Karen who are lackeys someway to Steve. They’re nasty to both Jonathan & Nancy in certain parts of the story and both actors do very well to be unlikeable on screen. Mr Clarke – Arguably the most fun minor role in Stranger Things. A wise mentor to the boys, filling their head with knowledge in crucial parts of the story. He comes across a very nice teacher that we would’ve all liked to have when we were in school. The Other Officers – More fun background characters who are more cynical and out of the loop with what is going on with Will. Yet they are good fun side characters to watch. Lonnie – The disgraced father in the Byres family. Very much hated by everyone, yet all he is trying to do is make sense of his missing son, although we later find out that he might have his own selfish intentions regarding Will. Other Government Agents – Minor sinister villains working for Brenner, and add an overall fear factor throughout the series. What works about them is how you have no idea who is an agent and who isn’t, and that fear stays throughout the series. OTHER I really enjoyed the 80s setting in this series as it sets upon a tone of nostalgia and fun without it being apart of some existing franchise. The town of Hawkins is typical in its small-townness, a place slowly forgotten by bigger worlds, and thus becomes a good setting for a story like this where the mystery and supernatural element is well contained and private. It ultimately adds a sense of character to Stranger Things. You also have simple effects that aren’t too overloaded and play very well into the mystery of the story. Also you have good fun costumes that are fitting for the decade, for the style, without being too overblown, too modern and keep pretty straight to standard. Season Rating - 89% = A- |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x01 - Chapter One (9): Mad Max INTRO: Stranger Things 2 continues the story set up by Season One, with all the surviving characters coping with the events of the first season, and adjusting to new situations in this season. SUMMARY: On October 28, 1984, a girl with the psychic power to make people see things and with a tattoo reading "008" on her arm is part of a criminal gang that manages to rob a bank and get away in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In Hawkins, the town prepares for Halloween. Maxine "Max" Mayfield, a new girl at school, captures the boys' attention. Joyce is dating her old high school classmate Bob Newby, Hopper investigates a field of pumpkins mysteriously rotting, and conspiracy theorist Murray Bauman investigates people who sighted Eleven, believing her to be a Russian spy. Mike and Nancy deal with their respective losses of Eleven and Barb, and Will has been experiencing episodes of apparent hallucinations of the Upside Down and an enormous, tentacled shadow monster. Joyce and Hopper take Will to see the lab's new director, Dr. Sam Owens, who has been giving Will routine medical exams ever since his return. Owens theorizes that Will's episodes are PTSD brought on by the anniversary of his disappearance. The gate in the lab's basement has been growing, worrying Owens. Nancy and Steve have dinner with Barb's parents, who still believe their daughter to be missing and who have hired Murray to find her. Hopper goes home to a cabin in the woods where he secretly lives with Eleven. REVIEW: The opening of this season is different, with no connection whatsoever to our main cast. It involves a gang robbing a bank, and a similar set of powers being used like Eleven’s. It fools the police and they get away. Season Two takes place around a year from Season One, as everyone involved before tries to return to some form of normality following the events of the upside down. The Boys story involves the arcade, gathering enough quarters to play and relax. Yet for Will, everything isn’t so normal as he keeps getting visions being in the Upside Down. Then there’s Jim Hopper, patrolling the town like all is nothing, yet is getting pestered by a journalist called Murray, investigating Barb’s disappearance. Joyce is also trying to move on, with a new romance called Bob, and trying to reach a sense of normality with her family. However, The Byres family do have to liaise with Hawkins Lab to some degree as they do tests on Will after he was in the Upside Down for so long, following an agreement with Hopper. A host of new characters also enter the mix. One of which is Max, a ginger tomboy girl who the boys take a curiosity to, and try to uncover the mystery of her. Her older brother Billy is also mysterious, inheriting a bad boy complex that may unmatch Steve. Speaking of Steve, his relationship with Nancy is still intact though they endure an awkward dinner with Barb’s parents, as the guilt on Nancy is still hard. The final twist of the episode involves Hopper & Eleven as Hopper is revealed to have kept Eleven all this time in his cabin, which I found a very clever and intriguing episode. It’s a good opener overall, with my interest piqued and eager to learn more about the Eleven situation as well as some of the new characters introduced. It’s also really happy to be back in the Hawkins environment and further following these characters so well built in the first season. RATING: 88% - A- |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x02 - Chapter Two (10) - Trick Or Treat, Freak INTRO: Halloween hits Hawkins, featuring dress up, parties and more mysterious things happening in the town. SUMMARY: Flashbacks reveal that Eleven escaped from the Upside Down, but was forced to hide from agents. In the present, it is Halloween. Eleven asks Hopper if she can go trick-or-treating, but Hopper insists that she needs to remain hidden until he can reach an agreement with Owens allowing her to live a normal life, frustrating the home bound Eleven. More pumpkin fields rot across town, and Hopper discovers an organic substance – similar to the substance in the lab – in the fields. Nancy wants to tell Barb's parents the truth about her death, but Steve says it is a bad idea, as the agents might come after them if they tell anyone the truth. Instead, they attend a Halloween party, where Nancy gets drunk and berates Steve for his lack of empathy for Barb's parents. Steve leaves and Jonathan takes Nancy home. The boys go trick-or-treating and are later joined by Max. Will has another episode during the night and tells Mike about his visions, leading Mike to admit that he is trying to contact Eleven. Eleven tries to contact Mike using her powers, but is unsuccessful. Dustin returns home after trick-or-treating and finds a strange creature in his trash can. REVIEW: We have a Halloween themed episode, which therefore allows the characters to have fun and enjoy themselves, mainly the younger cast. With the reveal of Eleven, we flashback to how she ended up with Hopper. It’s revealed that Eleven managed to get back to our realm with ease, and had been hiding in the forest for a while, away from society and relying on her own instincts. Back in the present day, she is in the cabin with Hopper, yet bored and trapped without allowing to go out which makes for a lot of angst and frustration. Then there’s the boys, all wearing Ghostbusters outfits and look adorable in the process. Yet their curiosity for Max continues to linger, as Dustin & Lucas spot an exchange Max has with her brother. It doesn’t take long for Max to join in with the boys, scaring them with a Michael Myers outfit. However, the fun soon ends when Will has another flash into eh upside down and encounters The Mind Flayer for the first time. Mike is also still missing Eleven and has a moment where he tries to reach her through the walkie talkie yet doesn’t realise that Eleven is watching him through The Upside Down. Then there’s Jim, who continues to investigate the strange rotting pumpkins and believes something suspicious is occurring. Lastly, there’s Nancy who remains in torment over what happened with Barb. Steve just doesn’t understand with what is going on with her, which results in a drunken confession from Nancy which leaves him chest fallen. Jonathan then appears and helps Nancy home, continuing to build the spark between them both. It’s not a bad episode, but it is the weakest one yet, with very little going on in terms of plot development and a lingering wait for the story to really kick off properly. RATING: 79% - B+ |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x03 - Chapter Three (11) - The Pollywog INTRO: The aftermath of Halloween kicks in and several characters face bewildering and scary situations. SUMMARY: Flashbacks reveal that Hopper found Eleven in the woods and agreed to take care of her in his grandfather's old hunting cabin if she agreed not to leave the cabin. In the present, Bob encourages Will to face his fears, not understanding the extent of Will's episodes. Nancy persuades Jonathan to help her tell Barb's parents the truth, and the pair arrange a meeting with Barb's mother in a public park the following day, fearing that Owens may be tapping the phone lines. The creature Dustin found in his trash can is a small, slug-like animal that he names D'Artagnan ("Dart"). He shows Dart to the other kids, and Will concludes that it is from the Upside Down, as it makes a noise similar to one Will heard in his hallucinations. Hopper accuses Owens of failing to keep the gate contained, becoming increasingly concerned about the pumpkin fields. Frustrated with being holed up, Eleven leaves to look for Mike; at the school, she sees him arguing with Max and mistakes it as flirting. Heartbroken, she leaves. Will suffers from another episode and follows Bob's advice to confront the shadow monster, but it possesses him. REVIEW: Dustin brings into his a baby demogorgan, naming it Dart in the process. I loved his interaction with his mother which is hilarious and sweet at the same time. Dustin decides to treat the demogorgan as a pet, keeping him secret too. Telling the rest of the boys, they try to figure out what to do with the young demogorgan all whilst slowly but surely letting Max into the group. When the demogorgan escapes, they all team up to hunt the pet around the school. Will ends up finding it, but at that moment, has an encounter with The Mind Flayer with his possession being the cliffhanger ending of the episode. With Eleven, she finally decides to free herself from the cabin and explore the town once again. She goes to the school and sees Mike & Max together, getting the wrong impression and using her telepathy to hurt Max slightly. She leaves but not before Mike figures out that it might be El. Hopper continues to investigate the fields more, and liaises with Hawkins Lab to find out what is going on. By the end of the episode, he discovers Eleven has been out and isn’t happy. Joyce continues to romance her new boyfriend Bob, but slowly begins to discover Will’s problem and by the end of the episode, sees the Mind Flayer through the video Will filmed on Halloween. With Nancy, her guilt for Barb’s death continues to build, and she ends up attempting to phone Barb’s mother to tell her the truth, however Hawkins Lab overhears the conversation and they begin to intervene. Lastly there is Steve, who is still trying to keep his stature in school in tact, as he continues to be challenged by Billy and having his ego threatened as a result. This episode is better than the previous one, more exciting with the different stories, and ultimately more fun also. It’s strong and exciting, with a great cliffhanger at the end. RATING: 85% - A- |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x04 - Chapter Four (12) - Will The Wise INTRO: Is Will possess? Will Eleven discover some secrets? Will Dustin reveal Dart? SUMMARY: Joyce and the kids awaken an unconscious Will. Joyce takes Will home, but finds him acting strangely, drawing scribbles on pages and demanding that the house be kept cold. Joyce calls Hopper, and together, they discover the scribbles line up. Hopper recognizes that the drawings represent vines, and he leaves. Nancy and Jonathan are caught by agents when they try to contact Barb's mother and are taken to the lab, where Owens shows them the portal to the Upside Down. He admits Barb died in the Upside Down, and says that he wants to prevent foreign governments from learning of it. They are released, and it is revealed that Nancy secretly recorded Owens' admission. An infatuated Lucas tries to get closer to Max, but her violent older stepbrother Billy Hargrove intervenes. Upon returning to the cabin, Eleven argues with Hopper over her sneaking out, culminating in her destroying the cabin's windows in a fit of rage. While cleaning up the mess the following morning, she finds Hopper's research into her biological mother, Terry Ives, and tries to contact Terry with her powers. A horrified Dustin finds that Dart has broken out of its cage, has devoured his pet cat, and is an infant Demogorgon. Hopper digs into one of the pumpkin fields and finds a tunnel leading to the Upside Down. REVIEW: Before its too late, Will is rescued from The Mind Flayer’s grasp yet remains in a state of trance and panic following the events of the last episode. We slowly begin to discover that The Mind Flayer has a hold over Will, as Joyce discovers little things like how low his temperature has gone down, his sudden hatred for hot water and heat in general, and the performance from Noah Schapp giving this sense of possession by something greater slowly eating into Will’s subconsciousness. Jim continues to deal with Eleven which following the previous episode, a heated fight between the two emerges resulting in the equivalent of a puberty-based temper tantrum from Eleven. Jim takes his mind off things by continuing to investigate the fields and discovering the vine like tunnel underneath. Where as Eleven, she comes across a box with notes and paper clippings of her past, which in turn leads her to discover her mother, and leads her to want to know more. The boys and Max are still searching for Dart yet Max continues to have a frustration of being kept out of the loop completely. Mike sticks alongside Will, wanting to be sure that he is ok, whilst Dustin now has to deal with an increasingly growing Dart who has come across the cat Mew Mew and killed it. Max also has to deal with her growing attraction to Lucas whilst also keeping him away from her toxic older stepbrother Billy. Jonathan & Nancy continue to attempt to uncover the truth about Barb, however Hawkins Labs intervenes in their plans and try to warn the two off. However, Nancy is one step ahead of them, having recorded the conversations, and chooses to head out of town with Jonathan. Steve also continues to grapple with Billy as well as facing the prospect of losing his status in high school, and isn’t coping with this threat very well. Another good episode with a strong set of stories moving along nicely, though continues to be below the standard of the first season. Yet the show is still going at a steady and exciting pace. RATING: 82% - A- |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x05 - Chapter Five (13) - Dig Dug INTRO: Hopper is in trouble, Eleven goes on an adventure, and Will slowly loses his memory. Oh and Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson begin to build a beautiful friendship. SUMMARY: Hopper becomes trapped in the tunnels and passes out. Mike sleeps over at the Byers' house to help Will recover. Will has a vision of Hopper, leading Joyce to recruit Bob's help to determine its meaning. Bob identifies the network as a map of Hawkins and the pumpkin field as the place Hopper was going. Nancy and Jonathan take the tape of Owens' admission to Murray, who realizes the public will not believe the unbelievable story and suggests watering it down to make it more palatable. Lucas reveals the truth of Will's disappearance to Max. Dustin traps Dart in his basement and enlists Steve's help to recapture it. Eleven tracks down Terry and Becky Ives. Terry and Eleven are able to communicate using their psychic powers, and Terry reveals to Eleven that she tried to rescue her at the lab and was subjected to a brain-damaging dose of shock therapy by Brenner. Eleven learns there was another girl trained like her. Joyce, Bob, Will, and Mike rescue Hopper, though scientists from the lab soon arrive and set the tunnels on fire. As this happens, Will collapses and begins convulsing and screaming in agony. REVIEW: Ditching the cabin, Eleven goes on a solo adventure in search of her mother, finding her where she was before in the first season, and uniting for the first time with her aunt and mother in the flesh. With her powers, she communicates with her and is shown the truth of how her condition came to be. It is a sad yet gripping sequence to watch, as we feel for Eleven and what she sees. Dustin continues to search for Dart, yet has no one to help him all of a sudden, and turns to the most unlikely of people: Steve Harrington, and thus a fantastic duo is formed in the process. With Lucas & Max, Lucas tells the truth to Max about what has been going on, only for Max to be sceptical about the whole thing. So Lucas sets out to get proof of his story. Mike sticks with Will for a few episodes, and both of them through conversation begin to learn more about The Shadow Monster possessing Will. Joyce & Bob devise a map based on Will’s drawings in a bid to save Hopper from the vines. Hopper’s decent in the vines is quite a scary sequence, yet it isn’t fatal as Joyce & Bob manage to save him, though when Hawkins Lab arrive to attempt to destroy the vines, it hurts Will from the inside and causes him to seizure. For Nancy & Jonathan, they manage to locate the journalist involved in Barb’s disappearance. Together, they show him the tape they recorded in Hawkins, and through a deep discussion, they decide to moderate and dilute the story slightly in a bid to hurt Hawkins more and cause the greatest of damage. Dr Owens meanwhile is noticing that the problem with The Upside Down is getting worst and is eager to investigate more before its too late. Again, another good episode as we begin to learn more about El’s past as well as exploring further with Will and seeing Dustin form his own path by teaming up with Steve Harrington. We continue to set up once again an exciting and thrilling finale. RATING: 86% - A- |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x06 - Chapter Six (14) - The Spy INTRO: Twists and turns across this episode as the threat against Hawkins suddenly becomes more real and more scary. SUMMARY: Will is rushed to the lab, demonstrating memory loss. Owens theorizes that the shadow monster is a virus that has spread to Will's brain and is controlling him, and that the creatures from the Upside Down share a hive mind. Therefore, damaging the tunnels will be lethal to the now-infected Will. Nancy and Jonathan spend the night at Murray's, who forces them to admit their feelings for each other. The following morning, the trio sent copies of the tape of Owens' admission to numerous newspapers around the country. Nancy and Jonathan discover Will's drawings upon returning to the Byers' house. Lucas and Max regroup with Dustin and Steve, and the group attempt to lure Dart to a junkyard. Max apologizes for being hostile to Lucas, explaining that Billy's violence results from his father remarrying Max's mother. Dart arrives to the group's horror, flanked by a pack of adolescent monsters. The group is cornered until the pack unexpectedly runs away. Will discovers a location that the monster prevents him from seeing. Unaware that the monster is manipulating Will, Owens sends a team to investigate. The team is attacked by the adolescent monsters, who make their way into the lab. REVIEW: After a season and a half of will they won’t they, Jonathan & Nancy finally give into passion after their success at taking down Hawkins. The journalist Murray in the following morning is very smug about it also, which makes for a funny scene to watch. They return home to find everyone gone with a sneaking suspicion from Jonathan about who might be involved. Will on the other hand is in the Hawkins hospital, where he is slowly losing his memory in regards to people like Bob and such. Concerns quickly come from everyone, especially Joyce & Hopper. Dr Owens is therefore torn on what to do next, and eventually sends in an expedition into the mines overseen by him and Hopper. However, it was all a trap by The Mind Flayer as they slowly die off one by one in brutal fashion. The cliffhanger at the end of the episode shows the Demogorgans breaking through the lab, endangering everyone inside. We also see Dustin & Steve team up for the first time, and have a lovely chemistry with one another, like a brotherly sibling chemistry that works beautifully. Teaming up with Lucas & Max, they attempt to lure Dart out. This ultimately works, but then more Demogorgans arrive which give Max the first proper exposure to these monsters, meaning that there’s no going back now for her. Steve is ultimately brave in this scenario and even shares the secret of his hair to Dustin. I think this is another solid episode, though there’s no Eleven in this episode which is interesting. I like the Mind Flayer’s plan of invading Will’s mind which is in itself a very scary idea. But like before, it does a very good job at being a slow build to another epic finale. RATING: 96% - A |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x07 - Chapter Seven (15) - The Lost Sister INTRO: Eleven goes on a field trip to Chicago. What could possibly go wrong? SUMMARY: Eleven travels to Chicago, Illinois, and finds the other girl from Terry's memories, named Kali. Realizing they have similar tattoos and were both experimented on by Brenner, Eleven and Kali consider themselves sisters. Kali can project images into people's minds and lives among a street gang that seeks revenge on Brenner. Eleven reveals that Brenner is dead, so the gang decides to kill the man who tortured Terry instead. Kali helps Eleven hone her abilities by demonstrating that channeling her anger is the key to strengthening her powers. After Eleven uses her powers to find the gang's target, named Ray, the gang travels to Ray's apartment to kill him. Eleven begins to choke Ray with her powers, leading him to claim that Brenner is still alive. Eleven refuses to kill Ray after seeing a photo of his two young daughters, who are discovered at that same moment to be contacting the police, and refuses to allow Kali to kill him. The gang flees to their hideout, and Kali insists Eleven either stay and avenge her mother or return to Hawkins. Eleven has a vision of Mike and Hopper's plight at the lab and decides to return while Kali and her gang escape from the police. REVIEW: So this is an entirely Eleven centric episode. Taking place at the end of her story in Episode Five, we follow Eleven as she goes on a trail to find Karli AKA Number Eight. Finding files in her mothers house (I’m amazed Hopper didn’t find them when he was there), it sends Eleven off into the city of Chicago to search for Karli. Of course, Eleven finds the city landscape bewildering and alien as she’s never experienced something like this before. She comes across the gang in a warehouse and after exchanging powers, she joins them in their escapades. The character of Karli is a mixed bag overall. Whilst taking in Eleven as a younger sister surrogate, she is consumed with anger and vengeance and that’s what has fueled her goals in this episode, going after ex Hawkins Lab people that robbed her of a normal life. This occurs when they come across a man that was apart of lobotomising Eleven’s mum. Despite almost killing him, Eleven rebuffs at the last minute after seeing his children scared. She then sees through the upside down that Mike & Hopper are in danger and decides to return to Hawkins to save them. All in all, it’s a mixed episode overall. Divisive at the time of airing, and still divisive today. The problem is the fact that the episode takes us out of the main story, adds nothing to the wider story at all, and comes across sub par as an episode in itself. The only positives are the fact that it’s some nice development for Eleven, though the gang characters are ultimately lacklustre as side characters. RATING: 76% - B+ |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x08 - Chapter Eight (16) - The Mind Flayer INTRO: All groups unite as Will's life once again hangs in the balance. SUMMARY: The pack of creatures attacks the lab, killing most of the scientists. Realizing that Will is a spy for the monster, Mike convinces Joyce to sedate Will to prevent the creatures from tracking them. Mike, Joyce, Hopper, Bob, and Owens take Will's unconscious body to the lab's security room to barricade themselves from the creatures. The lab's power goes out, and Bob volunteers to reset the breakers and allow the group to escape. Bob's mission succeeds, allowing Mike, Joyce, Hopper, and Will to escape. Doctor Owens then stays behind to guide Bob to the way out. However, the monsters attack and maul him to death in front of Joyce, leaving her devastated. The survivors are rescued by Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max and return to the Byers' house. Desperate to seek revenge on the shadow monster, who Dustin realizes is equivalent to the 'Mind Flayer' in Dungeons & Dragons, the group theorizes that the Mind Flayer wishes to spread into this universe and that killing it will kill all the creatures connected to it – including Will. Using Morse code, they are able to communicate with the real Will, who instructs them to "CLOSE GATE." The Mind Flayer finds their location and sends the creatures after them. As the creatures close in, one suddenly crashes through the window and lands on the floor, dead. The door then unlocks itself, and Eleven walks in, having dispatched the other creatures. REVIEW: Picking up from the end of Episode Six, Demogorgans run amok across the lab, with many of the staff at Hawkins suffering as casualties. Yet it is Bob and Bob alone that volunteers to go down to switch the power back on. And for 5/6ths of the mission, he does extremely well, only to die at the final hurdle when he should’ve run full stop to the door. He sadly is killed by a Demogorgan which is a sad loss for Joyce, yet its enough for her to escape unharmed. It is there after that all three groups eventually unite, and rendezvous back at the Byres House to figure out what exactly is happening again regarding The Upside Down. They realise that Will is slowly being invaded by the Mind Flayer, but is managed to communicate through morse code to everyone else, instructing them to close the gate. They begin to form a plan to do this, which is helped with a returning Eleven who saves everyone by killing the remaining Demogorgans. On a side note, we also have a bit of backstory with Billy, with a bullying father who instructs him to find Max, which is designed to set up a bit of tension for the finale. It’s a great episode with some fun interactions between many of the characters. I enjoy watching the characters figure out the major problems involving Will and The Upside Down, and with Eleven’s return, it sets up for a very exciting finale once again. RATING: 97% - A |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 2x09 - Chapter Nine (17) - The Gate INTRO: Will everyone gather to save Will? Will Eleven learn to harnest her powers for the right moment? Will Max have the courage to stand up to Billy? Will anyone get to go to the snow ball? SUMMARY: After a brief reunion, Eleven, and the group devise a plan to close the gate without killing Will. Hopper and Eleven head to the lab to close the portal, on the way to seeing Dr. Owens, who has been attacked and injured upon attempting to escape. During this time, Jonathan, Nancy, and Joyce purge the virus from Will by overheating him in Hopper's cabin. To prevent the creatures from attacking Hopper and Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Steve plan to enter the tunnels to lure the pack. Billy arrives at the Byers' house, having been instructed to find Max by his father, and gets into a fight with Steve. Max manages to sedate him, and the group enters the tunnels to enact their plan. Nancy manages to release Will from the Mind Flayer's grasp by branding him with a poker. Despite the Mind Flayer's attempts to thwart her, Eleven unleashes her anger, successfully closes the gate, and kills the creatures. One month later, Nancy's tape has exposed the lab, leading to its closure. Barb receives a funeral, and Owens, who survived his injuries, forges a birth certificate for Eleven, naming her Jane Hopper. Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Will, Lucas, and Max attend their school's winter dance where Lucas and Max dance and kiss as well as Mike and Eleven, while Dustin dances with Nancy after being turned down by a girl. Meanwhile, the Mind Flayer is still alive in the Upside Down, towering over the school and watching the group. REVIEW: After a season apart, Mike & Eleven are finally reunited and the scene in the opening between them is beyond adorable. Yet Mike also discovers that Hopper had been keeping her away from everyone, which understandably makes Mike pisssed over being deceived and robbed of so much potential time with El. Never the less, a plan is put in motion to save Will from the mind flayer and close the gate off completely. With that, one last team this season, the team is divided into three groups once again. Hopper & El go to the lab to close the gate, The Byres & Nancy take Will to a cabin to suck out The Mind Flayer, where as Steve and the kids go to Hopper’s cabin to lure away the Demogorgans. But that plan is derailed somewhat when Billy arrives to take Max, yet she manages to stand up for herself, put Billy in his place, and come up with a plan to destroy the vines to help Will. With that plan in motion, it provides closure for Dustin & Dart before the vines are lit up and torched. The Byres & Nancy initiate a plan to suck The Mind Flayer out of Will by warming up his body to an extreme heat. This ends up being successful though the sequence itself is intense on screen and the acting all around terrific. Then of course you have Hopper & Eleven, who return to Hawkins Lab to close the gate once and for all. Luckily, Dr Owens survived the fallout from the previous episode, and agrees to assist Eleven at the end of the episode. In the aftermath, Owens allows Hopper to adopt Eleven after everything they’ve both been through, Barb is given justice which results in Hawkins Lab shutting down for good. And then finally we have the snow ball sequence which is an undeniably sweet ending for this season. It shows the kids growing up, and establishes two new couples: Lucas & Max, as well as Mike & Eleven being official. All in all, it’s a fantastic finale which is fun and thrilling all around, but not before leaving some teases for Season Three. RATING: 100% - A+ |
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...4f5ed3e17a.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things Season Two Retrospect STORY I said before that Stranger Things 2 reminded me very much of Jaws 2. A solid sequel that does everything right except illicit the magic that it conjured from Season One. It feels very much like a sequel, retreading old plot points from before, yet also branching into new exciting areas for these characters to go to. It also retains the formula of splitting the various characters up into several groups: Kids, Teens & Adults, although it mixes up a little bit midway through the story. CHARACTERS Eleven – All things considered, the worst part of Eleven this season was the good awful hair on her head. Not a great look at all. Other than that, Millie Bobby Brown delivers another top notch performance of a psychic girl with a lot of development issues and teen puberty issues flowing around. The sheer frustration of being isolated, as well as also going through puberty also doesn’t help, especially Hopper who becomes a surrogate father to her. Her longing for Mike is also felt strongly here too, as well as battling against Hopper’s ground rules around the house. She does however get the opportunity to reunite with her mother albeit briefly. What was also lacklustre was her one episode adventure with the street gang, after she came across the information of Eight. Never the less, through all of that, she gets a sweet ending for the snow. Going to the snow ball and sharing her first kiss with Mike. Will – Will’s possession arc was terrific and the main story revolving Season two. It provided Noah Schapp fantastic performances, as well as being in general a very interesting and scary story to see unwind throughout. The Other Boys – Mike is much more moody in this season, and understandably why due to his longing for El, yet he does his best to keep it all together and be a good friend for Will. He does eventually reunite with Eleven, leading to a lovely final scene between the two at the end of the season. Their romance continuing to blossom to new heights. Lucas & Dusty are also good too this season, as they rival over a new girl and then with Dusty finding a baby demogorgan, calling it Dart affectionally. We also see more of Lucas’s and Dusty’s families which just add more dimension to the characters. Max – A new girl among the kids category. More tomboyish and grouchy, she none the less enters the group well due to her curiosity towards them. She has a tough relationship with her older brother which plays into her arc, and is the subject to a war of attraction between Lucas & Dustin, ultimately choosing Lucas and starting a blossoming romance between the two. Nancy & Jonathan – Most of the season is them teasing a will they won’t they vibe, until finally they cave in mid way through the story. Their story involves Nancy trying to avenge Barb’s death, in which a sequence of events leads to the downfall of Hawkins Lab thanks to Murray. They eventually give into passion at the end. I should though say that their role is more of a backseat from the last season, not as crucial as it was before. Steve – I think Steve’s role is so fun here, as his arc involves him trying to keep his life attached what with Nancy and such. But yes, it all ultimately falls apart and he ends up finding a new passion: babysitting. A mentor to the young children in a time when they needed one. His rivalry with Billy was fun too, with frequent intense constant run ins throughout the season. Billy – The new human villain of the season, who challenges Steve throughout. As well as that, he becomes a threat to Max & Lucas in various ways. That being said, he does have a soft side with fun flirting with Mrs Wheeler in the final episode. Dacre Montgomery does a great performance throughout this season and I look forward to more of him in Season Three. Jim Hopper – Following Season One, Hopper is trying to balance everything in Hawkins, get it back to normal. He makes a compromise in liaising with Hawkins Lab, though he does keep Eleven secret which is huge on his part. Hopper ends up investing new Upside Down threats such as tunnels and such, as well as dealing with Eleven’s powers and puberty issues, so yeah the character has a lot to grapple with and does it very well. And David Harbour does a fabulous job as a result. Joyce – Joyce is trying to get her life back to normal following the events of Season One, though not quite the same way. She does however start a sweet romance with Bob who is great with the family, though when things hit the fan, the focus on Will and his issues take centre stage. Her story is mainly a repeat of Season One though she is more stable and less erratic. Bob – The nice new boyfriend of Joyce played by Samwise Gamgee himself. He is kind, very helpful, and eager to build a strong relationship with Joyce and her sons. His heroism pays off at the end when he saves everyone from the Demogorgans by resetting the power, only to be killed as a result in a tragic scene. Dr. Sam Owens – We have now a nicer more cooperative Hawkins Lab scientist following Matthew Modine in Season One. Hawkins Lab as a result play a more netural position in this season, and are there to help Hopper & Joyce with various issues throughout the season. Sam Owens ultimately proves to be a good ally for Hopper throughout Season two, and as a result survives the season and starts to give Eleven something of a life back. Eight – Eight is another young person with powers, albeit different from Elevens in some ways. Yet she is the focus of an episode where Eleven seeks her out and tags with her gang life to learn more about harnessing her power using anger, something which has been Eight’s fuel for most of her free life. As a result a conflict between her and Eleven emerges some what due to Eleven’s reluctance to truly fall into that attitude. But still none the less an interesting character with a missed opportunity. Erica & The Sinclair Parents – Erica is a very cute and sassy side character, who is both fun and irritating towards Lucas. Lucas’s parents were also fun to watch for the short scene they were in, as well as generally also being nice too. The breakfast scene in one of the episodes was also fun to watch. Murray – The journalist investigating into Barb’s death and unofficial matchmaker. Whilst his leads and theories are slightly wrong, meeting Jonathan & Nancy puts him on the right path and is crucial to shutting Hawkins Lab down at the end. Barb’s Parents – It’s a sad minor story that anchors around Nancy’s arc, as they continue to try and uncover the truth regarding Barb’s disappearance. It then goes into Nancy’s overall guilt about what happened, yet they do get closure at the end sadly. Mr Clarke – Another small role again for this character, but still lovely to watch on screen. He plays pretty much the same role as before but just a bit less this time. Mrs Henderson – A very funny and adorable mother to Dustin, though tends to act and behave like a best friend which is adorable acting as a result. She loves her cat Mews and is ultimately quite a fun, silly character to watch. Hawkins Lab – As I said before, Hawkins Lab are more neutral this time around, though are still trying to keep things hidden. They play adversaries for Jonathan & Nancy, yet are more supportive regarding Will, Joyce & Hopper’s stories. OTHER There were things about the season that wasn’t as strong as before. For one, I felt this season rethreaded old plot points a bit too much, and ultimately it became much like a repeat performance in a way. It didn’t have the same unique magic that Season One ultimately did. Then of course was The Lost Sister episode, which took the audience out of the main story, and made a set of gang characters that came off quite cringe and ultimately, that angle of the story had little point in it. RATING: 88% - A- |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x01 - Chapter One (18) - Suzie Do You Copy INTRO: Stranger Things 3 goes in a different yet fun direction, set in the summer and featuring a lot of love. SUMMARY: In June 1984, Soviet scientists attempt to force open a new gate to the Upside Down. One year later in Hawkins, the popularity of the new Starcourt Mall has forced many local businesses to close, angering townspeople. Mike and Eleven have begun a romantic relationship, much to Hopper's chagrin; he later threatens Mike into agreeing not to see her. Dustin returns from summer camp and sets up a radio tower to contact his new girlfriend, Suzie, where his friends ditch him, and he instead intercepts a Russian transmission. Will privately senses that the Mind Flayer may still be alive. Rats congregate in a mill and explode into an organic mass. On his way to a sexual encounter with Mrs. Wheeler, Billy is run off the road by an unseen creature and dragged inside the mill. REVIEW: The opening of each season always invokes a sense of intrigue and mystery, and here there is no exception: Russians building something sinister, and have discovered the upside down and intent on experimenting with it. But back in Hawkins, everyone is growing up, and summer has swept the small town hard. All the cute kids from the first two seasons are noticeably older, with Mike & Eleven opening the episode with a game of tonsil tennis. Very adorable scene of them being in a couple. You also have Dustin returning to Camp bragging about a new girlfriend he met there, and attempts to contact here via a hand made antenna. He fails, thus raising suspicions among his friends, though he does on the other hand manage to intercept a Russian transmission at the end. With Nancy & Jonathan, their story begins as them interning at Hawkins Post, where Nancy is subjected to some unpleasant sexism which is very heartbreaking to watch. Things fare little better for Steve as he works for Scoops Ahoy with a rather sassy yet fun co-worker Robin. With Steve, post high school life is a challenge for him, with attraction for girls a tad more difficult than before and Robin having a lot of joy rubbing it in his face. We then have Jim Hopper who is struggling to content with Mike & Eleven. He attempts to talk to the two of them, but never goes well. Though Joyce becomes a voice of reason for Hopper, with those romantic tensions still bubbling. Yet Joyce still does miss Bob, and still not over his death from the last season. Lastly there is Billy & Karen, a fun small subplot carried over from the last episode with a lot of flirting and the possible tease of an affair. As Billy & Karen arrange for a liaison, Billy is suddenly kidnapped by what is revealed to be The Mind Flayer with a cliffhanger ending set up. This episode is strong out of the gate, with the summer theme a new fresh feeling for the season, and a great use of 80s music too to make the episode come even more alive than usual. All in all a strong opening episode all around. RATING: 89% - A- |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x02 - Chapter Two (19) - The Mall Rats INTRO: Steve & Dustin reunite to dissect Russian codes, Mike & El have a tiff and The Mind Flayer gathers strength. SUMMARY: Billy escapes the mill after the creature induces a vision of the Upside Down, where he meets a doppelgänger. Tormented by further visions and voices, Billy is guided by the creature into kidnapping his fellow lifeguard Heather Holloway and bringing her to the creature. Nancy and Jonathan, working as interns at the Hawkins Post, investigate the home of Mrs. Driscoll, an elderly woman concerned about rabid rats eating her fertilizer, and they overlook one of the rats exploding. Max and Eleven bond to distract themselves from Mike and Lucas while shopping at Starcourt; Eleven breaks up with Mike after he lies to her to avoid seeing her after Hopper threatens him. Joyce investigates a strange loss of magnetism among objects at her home and workplace, accidentally standing Hopper up for a date. Dustin reunites with Steve, who works at the mall's ice cream parlor with Robin, a former classmate; the three translate the Russian radio message and determine that it must be a code. REVIEW: Billy becomes possessed by the Mind Flayer, and with that comes all the standard symptoms inherited from the last season, mainly a complete hatred for sunlight, and a merging split personality that merges within him. Setting up the Mind Flayer’s plan, he kidnaps co-worker Francesca for The Mind Flayer to consume. Back to the kids who are having fun being kids, though things get slightly sour when Mike lies to Eleven about seeing her after pressure from Hopper. This leaves Eleven confused and concerned, and ends up confiding in Max. They then decide on a girls day out at the mall, and have fun in the process. This is represented via a montage to Material Girl by Madonna with Eleven trying on new clothes and thus finding a new look. She also has some fun with her powers much like the last episode. However, Mike & Eleven run into each other, and after some exchanges, Eleven dumps Mike’s ass in the process despite the major misunderstanding between the two. With Nancy & Jonathan, they decide to take initiative and investigate the rats, seeing some of them mutating somewhat, which as we later discover is all part of the Mind Flayer’s plan to take physical form within the real world. Steve also reunites with Dustin and shares with him the mystery Russian recordings he heard in the previous episode. Robin decides to team up with them given her knowledge of Russian, as they discover a deeper mystery brewing. Joyce & Jim continue to hang out, with Jim on cloud nine following the fallout of El & Mike. He suggests dinner with Joyce which she kind of accepts, but then her curiosity with unworking mags which takes her to Mr Clarke for advice and understanding of what is going on. She as a result misses her date with Jim, which makes me feel for Jim at the end of the episode. Again, another strong episode. I love how fun this episode is compared to previous, as the colour and glamour of the 80s are in full throttle in this episode. El gets a new look and the material girl montage is gorgeous and fun to watch. I love the El & Max friendship also, it develops naturally throughout the season. You also have Mayor Kline introduced which is an excellent sleaze villain. But yes this episode is solid and continues the strong opening of Season Three. RATING: 95% - A |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x03 - Chapter Three (20) - The Case Of The Missing Lifeguard INTRO: El & Max continue to bond, Billy's powers grow, Nancy & Jonathan go investigating, and Will cannot let go of the past. SUMMARY: Eleven uses her powers to spy on Mike, and later Billy, who senses her presence. She and Max discover that Billy has gone missing. Nancy and Jonathan find reports of missing fertilizer and strange behavior among rats across town, and they discover Mrs. Driscoll herself eating fertilizer in her home. Will fights with Lucas and Mike while they are upset over Eleven and Max. Robin decodes the Russian communication, pointing to a shipment arriving at Starcourt that night; she, Steve, and Dustin spot armed Russian soldiers making the delivery. Joyce convinces Hopper that the demagnetization stems from an electromagnetic device at the abandoned Hawkins Lab; when they investigate, Hopper is attacked by Grigori, a Russian soldier. Max and Eleven track down Billy and Heather at the home of Heather's parents; after they leave, Billy and Heather subdue her parents, which Will senses, making him realize the Mind Flayer is alive. REVIEW: El & Max continue to bond away from the boys, using El’s powers for some fun innocent games. But then things turn sinister when they come across Billy killing Francesca, resulting in them seeking to investigate further. El returns to the upside down again, and it is there that Billy sees El through. Following more investigating, El & Max seem to find Billy having dinner at Fran’s house with her parents, but once they leave, Billy’s sinister plan comes into motion as The Holloway Family are killed in a very creepy cliffhanger. The boys on the other hand get coaxed into a game of Dungeons & Dragons even though Will is the only one in the mood. However, when things go awry, Will gets upset and leaves, smashing up Castle Byers in a sad scene yet at the same time sensing the return of the Mind Flayer. Joyce & Hopper continue to investigate their problem also, forced to return to Hawkins Lab as a result. During a chat, it is revealed that Joyce plans to sell up and leave Hawkins. Hopper then comes across a Russian assassin, and they battle resulting in Hopper getting his ass kicked as a result. Then there is Steve, Robin & Dustin who continue also with their Russian problem, cracking codes and discovering how to find the source of what is going on. With Nancy & Jonathan, Nancy still struggles with the sexism at her work, but decides to go rogue and investigate what is going on with Mrs Driscoll, only to discover that instead of the rats, she is in fact eating the fertiliser. In turn, it’s another solid episode. I really enjoy El & Max’s friendship here in this episode as they took the main focus, which as a result the boys lacked good material this time around. I found it a bit pathetic for Will to keep being attached to Dungeons & Dragons when it is clear that the boys are growing up and their interests starting to change. There’s a lot sadly lagging in this episode with nothing really that unique apart from the section with Dustin, Steve & Robin. RATING: 84% - A- |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x04 - Chapter Four (21) - The Sauna Test INTRO: Things go up a notch when The Mind Flayer's plan starts to take form, and Eleven faces a terrifying battle against a possessed Billy. SUMMARY: Billy and Heather bring her parents to the mill, where they are possessed by the Mind Flayer (now a physical creature composed of flesh from the rats). Hopper recalls Grigori meeting with town mayor Larry Kline; he and Joyce force Kline to reveal that Starcourt Mall is a Russian front buying abandoned properties across Hawkins. At Starcourt, Dustin, Steve, and Robin, alongside Lucas' sister Erica, discover that the mall's loading dock is an elevator, which traps them beneath the mall. Nancy and Jonathan are fired by their boss (Heather's father) for harassing Mrs. Driscoll; Nancy visits Mrs. Driscoll at the hospital out of suspicion and watches her become possessed by the Mind Flayer. Will reveals his connection with the Mind Flayer to Mike, Lucas, Eleven, and Max, speculating that it has possessed Billy. They devise a plan to trap Billy in the pool's sauna to confirm he is possessed, but Billy escapes and nearly kills them until Eleven subdues him. Billy returns to the mill, where dozens of townspeople have since been possessed by the Mind Flayer. REVIEW: Joyce & Hopper both recover from their encounter from The Russian, and connecting the dots, they end up interrogate Larry Kline, the mayor. Hopper beats him to a pulp, and obtains crucial information regarding Russian activity in Hawkins. Through searching in old abandoned buildings, they encounter proof that Russians are indeed in Hawkins. Following the previous episode, Jonathan & Nancy are fired from the paper. The following scene shows them having an argument from different perspectives: Nancy’s sexism vs Jonathan’s classism. Back at home, Karen comforts Nancy when she needs her mum most, advising her not to give up on the story. And she doesn’t, going into the hospital and sees Mrs Driscoll turning into a monster. Regarding Russians, Steve, Robin & Dustin continue to investigate further. With Robin’s quick thinking, they decide to use the air vents to investigate further, and that is when Erica, Lucas’s little sister is recruited. With her size, she crawls through the air vent to activate the secret elevator that goes down into the mall. With the rest of the kids, they instigate a code red and begin to investigate Billy. What follows is a brutal, violent and quite scary battle within the swimming baths between the kids and Billy. Eleven uses her powers, but she herself is almost killed in the process. However, she survives barely, and Billy is forced to flee. This is another strong episode. The climax in the swimming baths is great, a very intense and scary battle. The other stories also plod alone really well, with strong social commentary in some stories there and then. Clever and fun episode. RATING: 89% - A- |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x05 - Chapter Five (22) - The Flayed INTRO: Things go up a anotch as the citizens of Hawkins prepare to battle a fully formed Mind Flayer. SUMMARY: Hopper and Joyce search one of the abandoned properties, discovering a hidden laboratory. Grigori arrives to kill them, and they narrowly escape with a hostage – a Russian scientist named Alexei – in tow. Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica arrive in a Russian lab underneath Starcourt and hide from Russian soldiers unloading crates from the elevator. Attempting to find a communications room, the group discovers a large testing area where scientists try to force open a portal to the Upside Down. As Alexei does not speak English, Hopper and Joyce take him to Murray – the only Russian speaker they know – to translate. Grigori tries to follow them but loses the trail. Nancy and Jonathan regroup with Will, Mike, Lucas, Eleven, and Max and then theorize that Billy and Driscoll are both possessed by the Mind Flayer, who uses them to "flay" (possess) people to create an army. The group decides to visit Driscoll at the hospital to learn more, but finds her gone. They are attacked by Tom and Bruce, who are now of the Flayed that dissolve into a single organic mass resembling the Mind Flayer after Nancy and Jonathan kill them. REVIEW: Joyce & Hopper discover the Russian base, finding a geeky Russian from the opening of the first episode, and plan to kidnap him. Yet the beefcake Russian arrives and Round 2 between Hopper and The Russian take place. Hopper & Joyce both manage to escape with the captive, steal a flashy 80s car and go to the one person who can speak Russian: Murray! Steve, Robin, Dustin & Erica are going down a very fast lift, and encounter the Russian base in person, under the Starcourt Mall. It is down here that Steve finally wins a fight, beating a Russian soldier out cold. And whilst down there, they discover the device seen in Episode One, which is planning to reopen The Upside Down. The Kids story merges together with Nancy & Jonathan’s, as they begin to piece together the return of the Mind Flayer. They then agree to return to the hospital, in which Nancy & Jonathan have intense scenes fighting the possessed journalists. After their deaths, they merge into gloop and thus help The Mind Flayer continue to come together, with a cliffhanger of The Mind Flayer getting larger. Eleven & Mike also start to build their bridges from their fight earlier in the story. Again, another strong episode, with a really fun and exciting climax with Nancy & Jonathan against the journalists. This story and season overall is coming together wonderfully nicely. RATING: 93% - A |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x06 - Chapter Six (23) - E Pluribus Unum INTRO: Things go up a notch as The Mind Flayer continues to grow, and Eleven makes a breakthrough with Billy. SUMMARY: Eleven, who had just then reconciled with Mike, uses her powers to incapacitate the Mind Flayer, forcing it to flee to the mill. In the Russian lab beneath Starcourt, Steve and Robin are captured, drugged, and interrogated, but Dustin and Erica manage to rescue them. With Murray translating, Hopper and Joyce hold Alexei hostage, forcing him to reveal that the Russians are attempting to access the Upside Down and that they are opening a portal beneath Starcourt. Hopper calls Owens to warn the U.S. Government of the threat, but Joyce insists they return to Hawkins immediately, fearing that their kids may be involved. Grigori corners Kline at Hawkins' Independence Day fair, demanding he step up efforts to find Hopper. Mike inadvertently admits his love for Eleven. To find the Mind Flayer, Eleven uses her powers in an attempt to psychically communicate with Billy, learning of his troubled childhood and finding the Flayer at the mill. Billy senses Eleven's presence, giving the Mind Flayer access to her location, and reveals that the Mind Flayer plans to kill her to avenge her closing the gate. The Flayed converge on the mill, dissolving into an organic mass and merging with the Mind Flayer. REVIEW: Joyce & Hopper continue to interrogate Alexi, the Russian they captured in the previous episode. With Murray’s assistance, they discover The Russians intent to reopen the gate closed in Season Two. As a result, they call Hawkins Lab for help and decide to return to Hawkins to rescue the children in the eye of the storm. Steve, Robin, Dustin & Erica are discovered by the Russians which results in them attempting to flee, though only Steve & Robin are captured and then drugged. Luckily, Dustin manages to save them and they plan to escape from the underground back to the surface in the mall. Meanwhile, The Kids plus Nancy & Jonathan are trying to locate the source of the Mind Flayer. As a result, they tap into Billy’s mind, and reveal the traumatic childhood he endured that made him the sociopath he is today. El though manages to discover The Mind Flayer’s plan in a gripping climax that reveals their location and sets up an intense battle with The Mind Flayer at full power. Again, another very good episode with great build up all over. The last five minutes are terrific, containing a gripping conclusion and setting up a fantastic climax going forward. RATING: 89% - A- |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x07 - Chapter Seven (24) - The Bite INTRO: The Mind Flayer begins to wreck havoc on the town as Russians storm the 4th of July parade, and El's powers start to weaken. SUMMARY: Eleven and the others determine the Mind Flayer is coming for her, since she was the one who previously closed the gate. Will senses the Mind Flayer approaching. The Mind Flayer attacks and injures Eleven before they flee. Dustin and Erica drag a drugged Steve and Robin to the movie theater in Starcourt. Eleven's group breaks into a supermarket to help treat her wounds and gather more supplies. Dustin contacts them over a walkie-talkie to try to explain the situation before he loses battery power. Eleven uses her powers to find Dustin, and the group takes off for the mall. Steve admits that he has feelings for Robin, but she comes out to him as a lesbian. Hopper's group makes their way to the fairgrounds in Hawkins to find the children, where they are spotted by Kline, who alerts the Russians. Grigori fatally shoots Alexei in front of Murray. Murray, Hopper, and Joyce evade several Soviet agents and learn the agents are looking for the children at the mall. Eleven's group arrives at the mall in time to stop the Russians from shooting Dustin's group. Eleven collapses in front of the children, her wound pulsing. REVIEW: The Kids, Nancy & Jonathan are all hiding in the cabin, battle ready for the oncoming Mind Flayer. And when he attacks, he attacks hard, with ferocious physical attacks, even managing to bite Eleven in the leg. It’s too overwhelming and everyone ends up retreating and they travel to a nearby food store. It is there that Mike ‘attempts’ to tell El his true feelings, however Dustin manages to get in touch after so long and it is agreed to head to Starcourt Mall to rally and form a plan. Steve, Robin, Dustin & Erica manage to escape the Russian compound, though Steve & Robin are still drugged. Eventually it wares off and it is there that Steve & Robin have a heart to heart where Robin confesses that she is gay, something that Steve reacts really well to. Dustin making contact with Mike ultimately saves his team as El manages to kill the Russians, though at a cost of her bite worsening. Joyce, Hopper, Murray & Alexi all head to the funfair to find Larry, though in the process Alexi is murdered by beefcake Russian. Hopper battles them all to get everyone away from safety, in what is a great fun action sequence that involves a fun house and Joyce laying a fun right hook at the Mayor. Again, really liked this episode a lot. So much fun happening around the episode, with the funfair sequence absolutely terrific. I also love as always with Stranger Things everyone reuniting again for the big finale. RATING: 97% - A |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 3x08 - Chapter Eight (25) - The Battle At Starcourt Mall INTRO: The ultimate battle between children and mind flayer begins. SUMMARY: Eleven rids herself of the piece of the Mind Flayer embedded in her wound, rendering her powerless. Hopper's group arrives, and plans are made to take Eleven's group to safety. At the same time, Hopper, Joyce, and Murray destroy the machine, with Dustin and Erica navigating them from his radio tower. Billy and the Mind Flayer trap Eleven's group at the mall. The others attack the Mind Flayer with fireworks as Eleven frees Billy from its control. Billy sacrifices himself to protect Eleven, Mike, and Max. Hopper fights and kills Grigori, getting trapped with the machine in the process. Out of time, Joyce is forced to trigger an explosion, closing the gate, with Hopper seemingly being disintegrated in the process. The Mind Flayer's physical body dies as Dr. Owens arrives with military forces. Three months later, the deaths are covered up, Starcourt is destroyed, and a disgraced Kline is arrested. The Byers family and a still-powerless Eleven prepare to move out of Hawkins. Mike and Eleven confess their love for each other and make plans to meet at Thanksgiving. In Kamchatka, Russian guards are instructed to feed a prisoner, but "not the American", to a captured Demogorgon. REVIEW: Everyone is once again united at the mall, and begin forming a plan to once again close the gate but within the Russian base underground. Joyce, Murray & Hopper agree to gown down to close it completely, and disguise themselves as Russians once down there. Hopper finally has a final battle with Beefcake Battle, and kills him a very gory set piece as he gets sliced by a huge machine. Sadly though, it puts him in a position where he has to sacrifice himself seemingly to close the gate. It’s devastating for Joyce, and her grief makes her decide to move her and her family to leave Hawkins. Steve, Robin, Dustin & Erica then decide to steer The Mind Flayer away from the mall to give the adults a chance, but a moment is required where Dustin gets in contact with girlfriend Suzie, in which she finally answers. However in return comes Dustin & Suzie’s duet of The Never Ending Story which was divisive among fans, but I personally found this to be hilarious overall. The Kids, Nancy & Jonathan are forced to stay in the Mall, battling both The Mind Flayer and a possessed Billy, who attempts to kill Eleven by having The Mind Flayer feast on her, however Eleven makes a final attempt to get through to him which works, allowing him to sacrifice himself to save everyone. Then we have the aftermath which is more of a downer this time than before, with Joyce, Will, Jonathan & Eleven all moving away to start a new life. Eleven finally reads the letter Hopper wrote for her, which is a downright tour de force performance from Millie Bobby Brown in that scene, I loved that scene. She also tells Mike she loves him, confirming that she overheard Mike say it himself a few episodes ago. In a way, The Byers family moving away is the end of an era for Stranger Things as I can imagine the show goes into deeper darker territory going forward. The Post credits scene sees The Russians reveal that they have Demogorgans in their prison, and perhaps a certain Chief of Police too. Overall, another perfect finale though this one is more intense and fun and ultimately leads the story into new territory into Season Four. RATING: 98% - A |
https://static0.colliderimages.com/w...s-3-poster.jpg
Stranger Things - Season 3 Retrospective STORY: Season Three just has a more fun relaxed story this time. Less of the horror and more of the 80s aesthetic which I think works really well, and makes it a more colourful and exciting watch. Introducing the Russians also really expands the world more and making the viewer realise that the threat of the upside down extends beyond Hawkins. Change is really the major theme this season which many of the characters facing a major change in their lives and the choice like a crossroads giving the characters a distinct choice with no turning back. It's also just more colourful, more happy, the romance fizzling in the air with several potential couples. It easily became my favourite season of the series, with a very excellent and easy story to follow. CHARACTERS Eleven & Mike: We now finally have our Mileven together, with literally the first scene of them snogging on the bed. Cute and a good opener to the season, as the chemistry shines brighter than ever between the two. Yet this season throws some barriers. Because of Hopper, Mike is forced to lie for the first time sending Eleven’s world into disarray slightly. Seeking solace in Max, Eleven finds female friendship and ‘dumps Mike’s ass’ which is hilarious. Mike & Eleven get through their issues and come through the season stronger than before. Great moments in the season were scenes between Eleven & Billy, with El’s terror very visible on screen whenever the two were together. The end of the season also sees El lose her powers yet very confident in her love for Mike. Props also goes to the fun funky fashion that El has this season. Hopper: Hopper has a challenging season here. A lot of toxic attributes come out here, such as lying to Mike & El, his aggression coming to the fore, and an air of unpleasantness lingering through the episodes. A proposed date with Joyce goes awry which sets up the tension between Joyce & Hopper throughout the season. His fashion invokes Miami Vice vibes throughout with the loose yet coloured shirt. He plays the action hero template this season, with various fight scenes throughout the story with one mainly with an Arnold Schwarzenegger rip off. The end of the season sees Hopper seemingly sacrifice himself to save the town, although one would believe differently come Season four. Joyce: She is a bit more goofy and silly this season, rather than more paranoid than before. Her story is ignited by magnets that don’t work, which sets off her curiosity to new heights. Teaming up with Hopper, they follow a trail which ultimately gets them involved with a Russian conspiracy at the heart of Starcourt Mall. Winona Ryder is of course great as always, becoming more determined and heroic as well as developing lingering feelings for Hopper. Will: Will very much takes a back seat this season to other characters. He goes through a very harsh adjustment to teenagehood, with friends more interested in their partners than games, and him perhaps grappling with something deeper within himself. There’s also still that Mind Flayer connection lingering within him that comes into play at several points throughout the story. Lucas: Again, very much in the background this season, with very little to do throughout as him and Max’s romance are in the back burner. Though he does have his moment with the firework assault in the finale. Max: I love Max’s blossoming relationship with Eleven as they do really create a strong bond throughout the story, with fashion montages and galore. Her conflict though over her friends and Billy could’ve been better explored I think. Dustin: Dustin returns from camp with news that he has a girlfriend, which everyone is quite sceptical of. His friendship with Steve Harrington continues to develop as well as forging friendships with Robin Buckley and Erica Sinclair. Being isolated from his others, he really shines better as an individual and comes through with support from Steve & Robin. Steve & Robin: Steve is given a fun new sidekick in the form of Robin Buckley, a quirky exciting new addition to the show played wonderfully by Maya Hawke. They both work at Scoops Ahoy, an ice cream parlous and are on the other side of the Russian story, deciphering codes, discovering secret hideaways, and go through an ordeal of being drugged and suffering hallucinations too. Ultimately the friendship is very heartfelt and it ends stronger than it begins in Season three. Nancy & Jonathan: Both Nancy & Steve enter the working world with the school newspaper, in which Nancy endures a tough time with her sexist coworkers that only see her as a food collector or message receiver. Nancy then begins investigating strange rodent issues in the town which ultimately leaves to unveiling the Mind Flayer’s plan and teaming up with the younger characters to combat it as best they can. Jonathan assists, though to a lesser degree than Nancy. Erica: She’s sassier than ever this season, beginning with own little entourage before she joins with Steve, Robin & Dustin in uncovering Russian bases under the mall. She is crucial in this story, and ultimately has some great lines and fun outfits throughout. Murray: Murray returns and is even more zany than he was last season. Now he works with Hopper & Joyce in cracking Russian codes, and rumbling the Russians plans with Hawkins. He speaks fluent Russian, and is way more funny here than before. Billy: Billy’s role in the story goes in a different direction as The Mind Flayer takes hold of him in a vicious manner. He’s still villainous, very ruthless, scary strong and a physically intimidating prescence throughout the story. His death scene is strong and powerful, and ultimately will go to have an impact on Max later down the line. The Mind Flayer: Finally, The Mind Flayer arrives in our world with a new way to invade. Taking mind control of certain people, his manner is of human and rat flesh, creating a gooey flesh for himself and being a major threat to the characters throughout the season. Holloway Family: A recurring family that represents the preppy rich family from that period, and are sadly one of the more prominent victims of the Mind Flayer. The Russians: They really are cartoon fun in this season, much like out of 80s movies themselves, almost stock like in their villainy, nothing really that scary or intimidating. Grigory is very much based on a mix of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ivan Drago, though lacking any sense of fear factor whatsoever. Suzie: The fun joke throughout the season pays off in the finale with Suzie’s reveal, calling Dustin an affectionate nickname of Dusty Bun, along with a Never Ending Story singalong which I just found so hilarious the first time I saw it. A fun little cameo to feast on. Sam Owens: A small cameo in this season, but he does come in the clean up the mess at the story’s end with a fun cool US army. Nothing exciting, but his role does get big again in Season 4. OTHER: The 80s references come off a lot stronger here in this season, more in your face and vibrant and striking. You also have more distinct 80s costumes thanks to the introduction of the mall and all the fashion ready made available to our characters. Yet, this season lacks the scares of the first two and the horror element is somewhat eroded as a result. But still, a ridiculously fun season with strong character arcs, story moments and just so much visuals to feast upon to make this a rollercoaster of a watch. RATING: 92% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x01 - Chapter One (26) - The Hellfire Club INTRO: After a break from TV reviewing, I return to finish my Stranger Things marathon and venture into the laest season of the show. SUMMARY: In a flashback to 1979, Dr. Brenner is experimenting on children possessing supernatural abilities until a mysterious incident kills all of the children except Eleven. In 1986—eight months after the events at Starcourt Mall—Joyce, Will, Jonathan, and Eleven have moved to California, where Eleven struggles with the loss of her powers and is bullied by other students. Joyce receives a porcelain doll in the mail, seemingly from Russia, and finds a hidden note stating that Hopper is alive. In Hawkins, Mike and Dustin have joined the high school's "Hellfire Club," a Dungeons & Dragons club led by iconoclast Eddie Munson. As a result, they miss seeing Lucas win the basketball team's championship game. Max, who has broken up with Lucas, struggles to come to terms with Billy's death. Chrissy Cunningham, a student on the cheerleading team, is haunted by visions of her abusive mother and a chiming grandfather clock. While buying drugs from Eddie, Chrissy is possessed and killed by a sentient humanoid figure from her visions. REVIEW: The prologue of Season four is in many ways quite haunting as the shots depicts an eerie suburban street in Middle America. We find out its a flashback which shows the return of Martin Bremmer, and his realization of how strong Eleven's powers supposedly are with the death of other children in Hawkins Lab. Season Four begins with everyone split up, with Eleven & Will now in a different high school but with new difficult challenges. El is sadly suffering from bullying with really horrific bullies which makes the scenes very uncomfortable to get through. This is down to just personal difficulty to my own experience to bullying as well as the heartbreaking performance from Millie Bobby Brown throughout. The nerves and emotion throughout is very good to watch for both El and what Will goes through, as his sexuality becomes more and more clear as Season four begins. Then there is Jonathan who is now more stoner than before, and getting angst about the idea that Nancy won't come and visit him in California. But he does have new character Argyle who is equal stoner to Jonathan and a fun new character to interact with this season. And then there's Joyce, trying to rebuild her life away from Hawkins, until a mysterious Russian Doll begins a suspicion about her that Hopper could still be alive. Determined to uncover the truth, he recruits Murray to assist in a perious journey. Back in Hawkins, the cute little boys are now big larger than life teens, establishing new cliques and social groups. Lucas blends in with the basketball team where as Mike & Dustin join a new D&D club ran by an eccentric named Eddie. A big D&D game is being planned and with Lucas busy with a big game, Dustin recruits Erica to assist. Dustin is still with Suzy as she gets a fun cameo at the beginning of the episode. However not everyone is in good spirits. Max has become a loner since the end of Season Three, suffering from depression and descending into music like Kate Bush to numb the pain. The song 'Running Up That Hill' plays an important part this season and shows up first in this episode. The end of the episode showcases a fun montage of two intense games: Lucas playing in a basketball game and the other boys in the midst of D&D. It's a fun montage to watch and really quite thrilling to see unravel. You then also have Steve & Robin who still make a cute fun duo as their friendship continues to shine. Robin also begins crushing on someone in the cheerleader team. Lastly Nancy has embraced her full journalistic instict by running the school national newspaper. And then the new characters in a way kick off the big new villain for Season four. Eddie rendeavous with a girl names Chrissy, a cheerleader struggling with some serious issues. She turns to Eddie for drugs to help this problem, but to no avail. Her hallucinations continue focusing on her abusive mother among most. In reality, it is all the making of a sinister new monster known as Vecna: tall, creepy, extremely sinister. In an eerie scene, he kills Crissy in front of Eddie in a very intense ending for the episode. This is such a strong opening episode to Season Four. Everything feels different and it can be a very big adjustment at times. I assume because Season Three was a more summer action orientated season, returning to horror can be slightly jarring at times. The bullying angle was a tough one to get through due to personal memory. But I'm enjoying overall seeing the new environments that our characters are adjusting to and adapting to in many ways. It's going to make for a very tasty and impactful season. RATING: 86% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x02 - Chapter Two (27) Vecna's Curse INTRO: Jim Hopper lives but what is his siutation and how will he escape it? SUMMARY: Hopper is shown in a flashback to have survived the explosion underneath Starcourt Mall, but is captured by Soviet soldiers and sent to a prison camp in Kamchatka. Joyce and Murray call the phone number on the note sent to Joyce and speak to "Enzo," revealed to be Dmitri Antonov, a prison guard that Hopper has bribed. Antonov has them deliver a $40,000 ransom to his contact in Alaska. Mike flies to California to visit Eleven, where he and Will witness her being bullied by her classmate Angela; Eleven eventually retaliates by striking Angela in the face with a roller skate. Back in Hawkins, Max tells Dustin she saw Eddie run away the night that Chrissy died. With help from Robin and Steve, they locate the traumatized Eddie and explain the Upside Down to him; Eddie and Dustin name the entity that killed Chrissy "Vecna." Nancy and her fellow student reporter Fred investigate Chrissy's death; Eddie's uncle tells Nancy he believes the killer is Victor Creel, a Hawkins resident who was institutionalized after allegedly murdering his family in the 1950s. Fred is lured into the woods by visions of a student he accidentally killed before Vecna murders him. REVIEW: The episode reveals something we all sort of expected in the first place: Jim Hopper is still alive, having survived the blast at the end of Season Three and was then seized by Russians. Slowly but surely Joyce & Murray unravel the mystery letter sent and then eventually get a phone call from Russia which makes Joyce more determined to save Hopper and thus begins a plan, which commences by him starting a bank loan. This episode also sees Eleven & Mike reunited again, though Will feels very left out and pushed to the side. A rollerblading sequence takes place through the episode, with fun 80s music like Tarzan Boy making an appearance. But the bullies from the previous episode show and continue to make Eleven’s life a living hell. A brutal humiliation takes place on El which is extraordinarily nasty. However, El gets her revenge by beating bully Angela with a shoe. It’s a very surprising and interesting take on El’s inner rage which has always been there in some form or another in the Stranger Things story. Jonathan also continues to worry about his future and one that may potentially feature no Nancy whatsoever. Eddie is on the run, wanted for murder, with many others out to target him to cope with their grief. Lucas is therefore caught in the middle and cannot escape for his own safety. Dustin & Max choose to then team up with Steve & Robin to help find Eddie. We then get a chance to see the video store which is quite a cool set in itself. They end up finding Eddie at Reefer Rick’s and let him into the ghouls and goings on of Hawkins over the last few years. Nancy also investigates with newspaper assistant Fred, going back to the trailer park to find evidence. Yet it is Fred’s trauma that lures him into Vecna’s trap and allows him to be the next victim of Vecna itself, who slowly but surely is becoming a more intimidating villain and a scary new antagonist. This is another good episode again, with the 80s fashion bright and bold and strong. The bullies are again very realistic and nasty and mean, the type that are just too indestructible to face regardless of the strategy used. Millie Bobby Brown is still absolutely brilliant in this season, bringing another strong performance for this episode which is awards worthy. We also see more on Hopper’s time in prison which is mostly flashback but still very good, depicting a bleak situation for Hopper going forward. It’s intriguing but very good story so far. RATING: 84% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x03 - Chapter Three (28) - The Monster & The Superhero INTRO: El enters new territory and the heat in Hawkins continues to grow as one member of the gang becomes Vecna's new target. SUMMARY: Sam Owens is visited by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jack Sullivan, who believes Eleven is responsible for Chrissy's death. Eleven is arrested for assaulting Angela, but is intercepted by Owens, who explains that Hawkins is in grave danger and that he has been working on a program to help bring back Eleven's powers; Eleven agrees to go with him. Joyce and Murray fly to Alaska to deliver the ransom for Hopper. In the prison camp, Hopper bribes a fellow inmate to break his shackles with a sledgehammer. Nancy and Robin go to the library to look up information about Victor Creel and discover that Creel blamed his family's murders on a demon, which Nancy and Robin conclude must be Vecna. Jason leads the basketball team on a hunt for Eddie, believing he killed Chrissy, but Lucas abandons them. Max recalls that Chrissy visited the school counselor before being killed by Vecna, and steals Chrissy and Fred's files from the counselor's office. She learns that they suffered from PTSD symptoms similar to hers; suddenly, Max hears Vecna call her name and envisions a grandfather clock. REVIEW: El continues to recover from the ordeal of the last episode, and the episode begins with her getting arrested by the police. With no adults to vouch for her, El ends up getting escorted to Juvenile Hall. However, she is rescued by none other than Sam Owens who asks for her help against a new threat within Hawkins. El of course agrees, guaranteeing her freedom and escape from federal detention. Yet also, it is to escape her frustrations with Mike, following a fight about the lack of love Mike expresses in the relationship, following a long amount of tension between the two. Hawkins is fast becoming a bubbling destination of madness, as the crimes and killings of Vecna continue to be investigated, with Nancy eventually finding her way with the other four. She and Robyn go to the library for research. The relationship between Robyn & Nancy is one of discomfort as it’s a relationship off kilter at times. There is also clues that perhaps Robyn is autistic in some way. Meanwhile, Max decides to use her school therapist as bait, stealing her office keys to sneak into the school with her friends. But what we as the audience discover is that Max has become Vecna’s next intended victim. Then there is Lucas who is still hanging around with the nutty bloodthirsty jocks, who proceed to go around the town beating up nerds and outcasts. Making a brave decision, Lucas decides to run for it after luring them into a trap. Next there is Joyce & Murray who travel to Alaska as part of their wider plan to rescue Hopper. Hopper remains in prison, though makes a deal with prison guard Yuri to help damage his foot as part of a bigger plan to escape. This is another good episode in the run, with more clues about Vecna coming to the fore as part of the main mystery within Season Four. You feel that everyone has a more juicy role this time around, with no character being left out. Sadie Sink in particular has a great performance here as her character takes centre stage. As well as that, Vecna continues to be creepy and an intimidating villain to follow. RATING: 84% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x04 - Chapter Four (29) - Dear Billy INTRO: Sadie Sink finally steps into the spotlight and shines brighter than ever as her career enters the next stage in this terrific episode. SUMMARY: Joyce and Murray deliver the ransom payment to Antonov's contact Yuri, but he drugs them, planning to turn them over to the Soviets, along with Hopper and Antonov, for a larger profit. Hopper escapes the prison camp but is soon recaptured. Jonathan, Mike, and Will prepare to sneak away from Wallace and Harmon, agents sent by Owens to watch them, but armed soldiers attack the house. They escape with the help of Jonathan's friend Argyle, bringing an injured Harmon with them. Nancy and Robin interview an imprisoned Victor Creel, who recounts his family being tormented and killed by supernatural forces, with Victor being arrested for their deaths. Max, fearing that Vecna is about to kill her, writes letters to her friends and family and goes to the cemetery to read her letter to Billy by his grave. She is possessed by Vecna and finds herself at an altar inside his mind. Steve, Dustin, and Lucas learn from Nancy and Robin that playing music can break Vecna's spell. They play Max's favorite song, "Running Up That Hill," on a cassette tape, opening a portal through which Max narrowly escapes from Vecna. REVIEW: Joyce & Murray meet with their contact to take them to Russia. Following an exchange of money, everything seems ready to go, until a deception and betrayal occurs leaving both Joyce & Murray in a seriously scary situation. Hopper on his side makes a daring escape also, but then the betrayal on his side then occurs, leaving him barely alive and his fate in limbo. El does not feature in this episode, and instead the focus is on Mike, Will & Jonathan who are they themselves under house arrest. However, Jonathan recruits Argyle to help them escape, and with a sudden and deadly shootout then occurring via mysterious agents, the boys barely escape. The whole shootout is a one shot sequence and very well done, exceptionally directed and choreographed as a result. Back in Hawkins, Nancy & Robin enter the mental asylum to talk with Victor Creel. Played by Robert Englund, we are shown a flashback to the tragedy of Victor’s family and what occurred in the house. The trauma is evident and registers to Vecna being a very different entity as a result. Eventually being rumbled, Robin & Nancy barely escape the asylum. Meanwhile, realising that she is the next victim, Max prepares for the inevitable, writing letters to everyone she loves, knowing that Vecna is closing in. As a result, the climax of this episode is amazing as Max has a confrontation with Vecna which has a fun Billy cameo as a result. They clash, yet Max manages to barely escape in a very thrilling sequence with Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill playing great music to the scene. Very thrilling, yet for Max, a shaken experience. It’s overall a brilliant episode and worth the hype from everyone praising it. Standout performances come from Sadie Sink and Robert Englund, as well as an incredible climax and an excellent character moment from Max too. It’s quite shocking how this episode was entirely snubbed by the Emmys, yet the episode is thrilling and terrific and really leaves you wondering what on earth is going to happen next. RATING: 97% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x05 - Chapter Five (30) - The Nine Project INTRO: The chaos in Hawkins continues to boil over and El comes face to face with an old acquaintance. SUMMARY: Owens takes Eleven to an abandoned ICBM silo in Nevada, where he and Dr. Brenner have developed a specialized isolation tank (dubbed "NINA") that will allow Eleven to access memories of her time with the other children at Hawkins Lab. After her first time in the tank, Eleven attempts to escape and briefly regains her powers, and Brenner convinces her to continue with the experiment. In California, before Agent Harmon dies, he gives the boys a pen containing a phone number for the NINA project that connects to a modem; Mike decides to enlist the aid of Dustin's girlfriend, Suzie, in Salt Lake City. After Yuri's betrayal, Antonov is imprisoned alongside Hopper. While flying to Russia, Joyce and Murray subdue Yuri and crash-land in the wilderness. In Hawkins, Max, Lucas, Steve, and Dustin regroup with Nancy and Robin and decide to investigate Creel House; inside, they encounter flickering lights, which they trace to Vecna's movements in the Upside Down. Jason and his teammates locate Eddie trying to escape in a boat at Lover's Lake; Jason and Patrick swim after him. While they are in the water, Vecna kills Patrick in front of Jason and Eddie. REVIEW: We discover that Eleven has been lured into a terrible trap, as she discovers that Sam Owens has teamed up with Martin Bremmer in order to access memories from Eleven’s mind to slowly regain her powers. However, it is clear how manipulative and nasty Bremmer is, as through the flashbacks, we discover the brutal tactics Bremmer uses to best control these powerful children. The ending itself is quite eerie also. Joyce & Murray have been captured, though they end up breaking free and turning the tide on their captor, following Murray’s crafty karate skills. However, their plane crashes and thus must make the rest of the journey on foot. Hopper meanwhile continues to linger in prison and starts reflecting on his life, believing himself to be cursed following conversations with the prisoners. It is then revealed that the prison have been hosting a Demogorgan within the compound, making Hopper’s problems even worse. Mike, Will, Argyle & Jonathan fail to save a dying agent, though he does give a clue to El’s whereabouts regarding the name Nina and a computer number. Thinking on his feet, the boys go to Salt Lake City and recruit Suzie, Dustin’s girlfriend for help. Everyone else back in Hawkins continue to investigate Vecna, and thus go to the abandoned Creel house, with flashing torches to guide them. Vecna’s presence is worked out when the torches flash repeatedly as they discover Vecna sits in the upside-down version of the house. Little character moments occur also such as a renewed spark between Steve & Nancy for instance. Eddie though is still hiding, and eventually is tracked down by the jocks. Attempting to escape, Eddie is chased by the jocks and sees for himself Vecna killing at least two of them in the water, with Eddie left in limbo in the middle of the water. Again, a good episode as we refocus on Eleven and dig deeper into her recent past. The creel mystery continues to deepen further as the performances remain very strong across the board, though little of the plot moves forward in this episode. We also have the return of Martin Bremmer as usual well-acted by Matthew Modine. Lastly is the focus on Max & Lucas on a couple once again as their spark reignites beautifully in this episode. RATING: 87% - A- |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x06 - Chapter Six (31) - The Dive INTRO: El relieves the past in a very challenging environment. Suzie returns, and the gang are thrown into new terrifying challenges. SUMMARY:
WARNING: "Spoilers" spoilers below
In Nevada, Eleven relives memories of befriending a lab orderly, who warns her not to trust Brenner. She also remembers older test subjects bullying her, insisting she is weak, but when she proves herself powerful and wins a battle ring, they threaten and assault her. Eleven sees her younger self covered in blood amidst the corpses of the other subjects in the Rainbow Room, leading her to believe she was responsible for the lab massacre. In Salt Lake City, Suzie helps the California group locate the NINA project's coordinates. Hopper and the other inmates are given a large feast, which Hopper warns is to prepare them to be fed to the Demogorgon. He later manages to pocket a lighter, recalling that the Demogorgon's weakness is fire. Joyce and Murray force Yuri to take them to a nearby town where he stores his goods, and decide to have Murray pose as Yuri to infiltrate the prison. Following Patrick's death, a now desperate Jason rallies Hawkins' residents at a town hall meeting against Eddie's supposed Satanic cult, the "Hellfire Club," imploring them to hunt Eddie. The Hawkins group finds Eddie; Dustin notices his compass malfunctioning and realizes there must be a new gate to the Upside Down nearby. They trace the gate to Lover's Lake, where Steve dives down to inspect it before being yanked into the Upside Down by a tendril and swarmed by bat-like creatures. While Dustin, Lucas, and Max are caught by the authorities, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie dive in after Steve.
REVIEW: Hopper still remains captive with a grim last rites meal added into his bleak outlook. With another prisoner, he tells the story of his first encounter demogorgan and the chilling aftereffect its had on him. Armed with a vodka bottle and fire, he’s prepared to do battle with it whatever it takes. Joyce & Murray land and discover a nearby town to seek refuge in. There, Murray devises a plan to break into the prison and save Hopper, swapping places with Yuri as a first step to get in. Mike, Will, Jonathan & Argyle go to Salt Lake City to recruit Suzie’s services, discovering and meeting her big Mormon family on the side. With good initiative, Suzie uses her father’s computer to find the geocode for El. Argyle also falls for one of Suzie’s older sisters which is fun to watch. With the help of Bremmer, El delves further into her past in a bid to reclaim her powers, as well as testing them once again. There’s an older orderly that assists her in certain ways, helping her go against her bullies inside the institution, apparently killing them in the process which is grim to watch unfold, though is it what it appears to be? Hawkins as a community remains frightened, with Jason taking advantage of these people and the paranoia spreading, using it to frame Eddie for the crimes. A witch hunt builds throughout the community. On the run, the remaining gang head to Lovers Lake where a new gate to the upside potentially lies. Steve braves it enough to volunteer to be the first one down, stripping himself down much to the curiosity of the ladies of the group. He enters the upside down for the first time, and battles against intense new monsters, leaving the episode on a unnerving cliffhanger. It’s another really solid episode. I really like the sense of fear now building around Hawkins due to recent events, as well as a sense of all that is happened in recent years. The parents in this episode feel more involved, with a true suspense slowly building. That being said, the new characters are still a struggle to get used to particularly Eddie. RATING: 93% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x07 - Chapter Seven (32) - The Massacre At Hawkins INTRO: Before the big finale, we must first learn who our villain really is and thus terrible secrets will finally be revealed. SUMMARY:
WARNING: "Spoilers" spoilers below
In the Upside Down, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie save Steve from the bats. But, finding themselves vastly outnumbered, they retreat deeper into the Upside Down. The police and Mike, Dustin, and Lucas' parents interrogate Dustin, Lucas, and Max about their nighttime trip at Lover's Lake, concerned for Nancy's whereabouts. As the police interrogate Max, Dustin, Lucas, and Erica begin theorizing Vecna's motives, concluding that each of his murders has opened a gate into the Upside Down. Nancy realizes that the Upside Down is frozen in time on November 6, 1983 when she cannot find her guns in the Upside Down's version of the Wheeler household. The kids communicate their theory to the teenagers, reuniting in Eddie's trailer, where Chrissy died. Meanwhile, Eleven fails to make real progress in regaining her powers because she fears that she killed all the children and workers at Hawkins Lab. Brenner decides to show her what happened on September 8, 1979; the orderly convinces Eleven to attempt escape from the lab, telling her that the other numbers are plotting to murder her and that Brenner will permit it. The orderly reveals to Eleven that he is a prisoner of the lab, just as she is, and that he has a device implant that prohibits his escape, prompting Eleven to remove his implant. As they are discovered by guards, the orderly kills the guards and reveals himself as One. He hides Eleven before venturing into the lab. Elsewhere, in Russia, Joyce, Murray and Yuri enter the prison, witnessing Hopper and his fellow prisoners fight the Demogorgon. As Hopper holds the monster back with a flaming spear, Joyce and Murray subdue the guards and open the prison doors, allowing Hopper and Antonov to escape. Joyce and Hopper reunite. In Hawkins, Robin and Eddie safely exit the Upside Down, but Vecna possesses Nancy. She discovers that Vecna is Victor Creel's son Henry, who killed his mother and sister with his psychokinetic powers before falling into a coma and being placed in Brenner's care. Henry became subject One (001) in Brenner's attempts to replicate his powers, later becoming the orderly who befriended Eleven. Eleven finally remembers One committing the lab massacre and trying to kill her when she refused to help fulfill his ambitions. Eleven then overpowered One and sent him to the Upside Down, where he became Vecna.
REVIEW: Joyce & Murray arrive at the prison, a long journey finally at its conclusion. Murray acts as Yuri and makes a very convincing turn to get inside. Both Joyce & Murray see Hopper for the first time fighting the Demogorgan in a fun and thrilling sequence. Through that, both Hopper & Yuri manage to escape and Hopper finally reunites with Joyce in a lovely scene, even though the escape is not over for them just yet. Back in Hawkins and the older teens enter the upside down, battling against new bat creatures sucking out their blood. Through the upside down, they venture to Nancy’s house in which an eagle eyed Nancy notices that everything in that room is in the past and not in parallel with their present day. Dustin then has a theory to save them, going to Eddie’s trailer and opening a gate to the upside down, luring them back in. However, Nancy is suddenly possessed by Vecna over her guilt from not saving Barb, and also learning herself about Vecna’s true past. Back in the bunker, Eleven uses the flashbacks to further uncover the truth regarding Bremmer. As she continues to befriend the orderly, she slowly realises the truth about him: He is Henry Creel, aka, Vecna. A great twist within the episode and a battle takes place between Eleven & Creel which sees Creel be thrown into the upside down, his skin burning and thus becoming Vecna. Another terrific episode once again, with the running time 90 minutes long. The episode focuses on piecing together all the puzzles, and delivers two strong performances in Millie Bobby Brown and Jamie Campbell Bower, though we don’t get nothing from Mike/Jonathan/Will/Argyle here. The Russia subplot is the weakest of all the subplots and one here is hoping it’s closing very soon as its starting to be a bit of a drag. Part of me is also keen to see more of the military as a lot of the clues are left up in the air regarding them and other such threads. RATING: 95% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x08 - Chapter Eight (33) - Papa INTRO: Eleven faces off against the man that abused her for years whilst Vecna continues to terroise the gang into a final showdown. SUMMARY: Vecna shows Nancy a vision of the future where Hawkins is torn apart before releasing her. The Hawkins group determines that Vecna needs four gates to enact his plan, and they decide to do their utmost to stop him. Max offers to lure Vecna into possessing her, so the others can attack him while he is distracted. Having regained her powers, Eleven learns of this plan and gets Owens to arrange transit to Hawkins. However, Brenner betrays them, securing Owens and trapping Eleven, insisting that she is not prepared to face Vecna. Eleven realizes that Brenner has been using her for years to try to recover Henry from the Upside Down. She attempts to escape, but Brenner drugs her. Sullivan and his forces arrive at the site and kill the staff. Brenner flees with a sedated Eleven but is shot by a sniper, who also tries to kill Eleven, in spite of Owens' protests. Yet, Eleven uses her powers to destroy the sniper's helicopter just as the California group arrives. As Brenner dies, Eleven refuses to forgive his actions. Eleven, Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle escape. In Russia, Hopper, Joyce, Murray, Yuri, and Antonov escape the prison after discovering several containers with more creatures from the Upside Down, as well as a fragment of the Mind Flayer. REVIEW: Joyce and Murray attempt an escape from prison after being reunited. It is there that they encounter a second demogorgan being experimented on, as well as other shocking experimentations that the Russians have conducted over the years. They come across a tunnel outside prison and find Yuri’s helicopter, in which a daring escape really begins. Hawkins is also ready for battle as the gang arm themselves to the teeth in which will be an epic battle against Vecna, but the hostile basketball team are also there too and eager to cause trouble. Because of her possession, Nancy is now familiar of Vecna’s plan in which one more kill from Vecna will rip open the gate, which leads them up to a dreadful final fight with Vecna, with the final sequence inviting a real sense of gloom to the final episode. Meanwhile, far across on the east coast, the boys follow Suzie’s trail to find Eleven. Ending up in the desert, they eventually find the location of Eleven and rescue her right when she is needed, with a lovely moment of Eleven & Mike reuniting and the escape back into Hawkins. Eleven meanwhile discovers that she has been betrayed in the bunker with Owens beaten to a pulp and Bremmer drugging her for his escape. The U.S. Military invade the complex with the intention of killing Eleven, however both Bremmer & Eleven manage to escape though Bremmer is shot dead, with a final closure of El & Bremmer being provided and El finally being free from his influence. It's overall a very strong episode with a lot of drama and action with such strong suspense throughout. It’s a phenomenal build to the finale which forms in a calm before an absolute terrible storm. RATING: 95% - A |
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...s_season_4.jpg
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Stranger Things 4x09 - Chapter Nine (34) - The Piggybank INTRO: The epic battle between the gang and Vecna takes place, with tnesion, drama and tragic consequences. SUMMARY: The Hawkins group enacts their plan: Max, Lucas, and Erica go to the Creel House for Max to lure Vecna out, while Steve, Nancy, and Robin go to its Upside Down counterpart to attack Vecna. Dustin and Eddie distract the bats, with Eddie sacrificing himself in the process. Jason enters the Creel House and fights Lucas, destroying Max's cassette and headphones, trapping her with Vecna. With no way to reach Hawkins in time, the California group creates an isolation tank for Eleven to enter Max's mind and fight Vecna. Yet, Vecna overwhelms her, revealing to Eleven that he has controlled the Upside Down ever since she sent him there. Vecna forces Eleven to watch as he begins killing Max. Mike professes his love to Eleven, giving her the strength to break Vecna's control over Max. Unfortunately, Max dies from her injuries. Hopper, Joyce, and Murray reenter the prison and kill the remaining Demogorgons, weakening Vecna. Steve, Robin, and Nancy set Vecna's physical form ablaze and shoot him, apparently killing him. Eleven uses her powers to restart Max’s heartbeat, but the latter's brief death allows Vecna's gates to open and tear through Hawkins, killing Jason and destroying parts of the town. Two days later, the town is recovering from an "earthquake." The California group arrives in Hawkins, reuniting everyone, while Max remains comatose. As Joyce and Hopper reunite with their children, Will senses that Vecna is still alive. The Upside Down begins invading Hawkins. REVIEW: Everyone has a part to play in the big grand plan to take down Vecna. In Russia, the gang are forced to return to the prison to fight off the remaining demogorgans with Hopper dawning a badass flamethrower to take some of them down. Yuri & The Soldier from the prison manage to mend the helicopter in time for the four to get away. In the prison, Joyce & Hopper finally get it on and Hopper finally slaying the demogorgan and Murray dawning a badass moment with the flamethrower. Then there’s the battle within the upside down which is as dramatic and dangerous as you could imagine. Nancy, Robin & Steve venture into the house Vecna lives and tease a potential Nancy & Steve reunion for the next season. Their plan is to burn a sleeping Vecna within the upside down, but have to go through numerous obstacles to get to him. Dustin & Eddie’s part of the plan is to lure the bats that serve Vecna away from him, making him vulnerable. In this plan, it is Eddie that sacrifices himself for the greater good which leads to a sad death scene shared with Dustin. Then there was also Max, Erica & Lucas who have to deal the heavy portion of the plan: being the bait. It only makes matters worse when the jocks show up to attack. Because of playing bait to Vecna, Max puts herself in a scary position, seemingly getting killed by Vecna yet is left in a coma with her fate ambiguous going into season five. Lastly there is Eleven, Will, Mike, Jonathan & Argyle who manage to find a restaurant for El to communicate with the upside down. I definitely felt that this was a bit detached from the main story given that it didn’t really gel with everything else going on through the season. Yet Millie Bobby Brown as usual is brilliant and the battle she has with Vecna is intense and thrilling. Despite being beaten, Vecna manages to tear a portal of sorts through Hawkins and scar the town for good. Everyone is reunited at the end of the episode which is emotional and satisfying as the group has been separate for so long and to see them all together again is comforting to a degree. Hopper reuniting with Eleven is also emotional and lovely, a relationship which has grown naturally and sweetly. Joyce also reunites with her two boys too, as well as Nancy & Jonathan whose relationship now looks more murky now that Steve’s intentions are more clear. Following that, ominous dark clouds form across Hawkins with the threat of Vecna still visible and season five’s story becoming more clear with the final battle yet to come. So again, another fantastic finale, probably the best one yet. Not once have Stranger Things had a disappointing finale, and whilst the film length runtime can drag it doesn’t stop you from having a good time. It brings with it a big epic end to the season as a whole, with Season Five having a lot to live up to. RATING: 100% - A+ |
| All times are GMT -3. The time now is 11:31 AM. |
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright, ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
User Alert System provided by
Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © Movie Forums